


Seer

by Oldine



Series: Birches Grow [15]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-10-28 14:13:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 51,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10832928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oldine/pseuds/Oldine
Summary: Anwen is poisoned in Cardiff. John collapses in Manchester. With time running out, and the situation increasingly desperate, Keara provides Anwen with the best doctor she can find. Children are in danger. The dreamfish drug isn't a drug. With time running out, Owen is forced to use a risky procedure to save Anwen and endanger John's life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the last of my archive of completed novellas. The rest will be posted as they're finished.

** “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.  **

** And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” **

Friedrich Nietzsche

 

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

** Friday, January 1, 2021 **

Four days since they lost one person and gained another. Jack could only imagine the tragedy was one more aspect of Other Keara’s manipulations. Atmore, Dawn and Dawn’s death had an ironic effect on Gwen and Rhys’ relationship. The months Dawn was with them had a profound affect on all them, particularly John. Michael’s addition to their extended family was an unknown. He’d spent to much time trying to puzzle out the point of obvious changes. It did little more than support his previous conclusion that the time-traveling psychic was insane.

The door to the conference room opened and Gwen entered followed by Ianto. Gwen carried coffee mugs. Ianto had Michael in a sling and carried a diaper bag. Dmitri, Ken and Ianto were taking shifts. Caring for the baby was a quiet way of handling the grief. 

“I need to take Rhys home if possible.” Gwen set the mugs on the table. 

“Is John here?” One more confusing change Other Keara caused, Jack thought. After everything, John had redeemed himself.

Gwen sat. “He’s in Ianto’s office with the kids. He’s teaching Trefor Backgammon.”

“That won’t last.” Ianto unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat. 

Jack set a hand on Ianto’s leg. “Trefor has to know how to play before he can win.”

Ianto eyed him. “You don’t understand. You can still win at checkers and chess.”

“The general said he’d send more strategy games for Trefor’s birthday. He doesn’t understand why I suggested computer versions.” Gwen shook her head. “He said no one will play board games with Trefor in a few years.”

The ridiculous conversation was comforting. Unlike Christmas, they had no illusions about New Years Eve. They came in with overnight bags. One of the new rooms Rhys furnished a week ago had been designated a nursery for the kids and had a single bed for whoever was staying with them. Ken was sleeping there. Dmitri was sleeping in the upstairs office. John had a bedroll in Ianto’s office. With no one wanting to enter the infirmary, they were short on space.

“Connie Ryan sent an update on Andy.” Ianto checked his tablet. “His psychiatrist doesn’t think the nightmares are PTSD.”

“That’s good.” Gwen nodded. “Any update on finding Connie’s stalker?”

“No. The case wasn’t being actively investigated until Beddoe. The investigator has spoken to Interpol and the FBI. The psyche assessment is bizarre,” Ianto explained. “I made arrangements with DCI Harpham for another opinion. She was cleared for limited duty. And may have an idea if it’s a Torchwood case.”

Jack received a message from Lacene about it. Miriam had been with him at the London sleep center when they found the Scotland Yard detective in a cell. Lacene wanted him to notify Miriam as a type of thank you. 

“Could it be an early Gordon-Glen victim? Dr. Palfreyman’s psyche records are…” Gwen shook her head. “After three psychiatrists examined her, they agreed to pencil in schizophrenic. The retrovirus rewired her brain.”

That was another puzzle. Neither Luc nor Malcolm had any idea why the dreamfish drug or retrovirus targeted people differently. Malcolm said it should target the same DNA or cell or specific part of the body. Different results should be based on genetic differences. He and John agreed a disease or alien should have a set biological target. Comments Dmitri made about alchemy might explain it, but he wasn’t able to review the case notes; he was barely coping with being unable to save Dawn.

“I doubt it.” Ianto hesitated. “The stalker has to function. Dr. Palfreyman doesn’t. Her journals are insane. She was functional enough to target her victims, but I don’t think she was capable of of choosing them.”

Which meant she couldn’t reproduce the drug. Jack wondered that himself but hadn’t had time to review her writing. 

“Another crazy whistle-blower?”

Jack shared Gwen’s skepticism. Something else had to be going on.

“Liverpool reopened the investigation into Cort Tray’s death. I spoke to the DC reviewing the case.” Ianto’s mobile alarm sounded. He checked the time. “I need to feed Michael in a few minutes.”

Gwen waited until Ianto stepped out. “That child doesn’t cry enough.”

“Dmitri says Michael’s healthy.”

“Dmitri knows nothing about babies. Like Ken and Ianto, he’s got bottles and diapers figured out.” She shook her head. “Babies have no way of saying what’s wrong. So they cry. The type of cry explains some. Cold, warm, hungry. Constant attention and the alarms set for feeding could explain some of it.” 

“Ideas?”

“No.” Gwen set her mug on the table. “Rhys is having a really hard time. When Owen died, mourning added to the guilt. I couldn’t explain to Rhys why a co-worker’s death was that painful.” She sighed. “Rhys’ situation is so much more complicated. Atmore, the baby.”

“Do you want me to talk to him?”

“At some point. Right now I need to take him home, Jack. Anwen made a big deal about staying here. Rhys isn’t thinking clearly enough to realize why.”

“How are you holding up?”

“I don’t know.” Gwen stood.

“If you need help with Rhys or the kids, ask.”

Ianto returned giving Michael a bottle as Gwen left. “We’re low on formula.” He sounded amused. “Ken and Dmitri are sleeping. You or John need to run to the store.”

 

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

General Trefor Williams decided people were dumb no matter what year or country. They had eight fake alien calls overnight. It was likely some of the groups coordinated their efforts. Near one of the calls was a tourist party. Nothing said stupid like vacationing in another country, getting dangerously drunk and insulting the local culture to the responding police officers. Whatever drugs they were passing out resulted in two outdoor streakers after midnight.

With the drug insanity in Cardiff, he needed to keep an eye on it. The Garda promised a copy of the blood work after he helped catch one of the naked idiots. Liam would make phone calls later. He knew people that could get party drugs. As their goal was to keep people from dying, he hoped the local party scene would cooperate with Torchwood checking the local drug supply.

He stepped into his room to change his clothes. Until he knew the insanity had died down for sure, a shower would have to wait. The door opened as he was changing his shirt. Liam hesitated. The general wasn’t sure what to expect. Liam had been acting strange since Christmas with his family.

“Social media is reporting a bad batch of Ecstasy. If it’s CN, it’s weak. No deaths yet.”

Shit. “Do you know which hospital or hospitals?”

“Yeah. I sent messages to anyone I could see was online. I have details on several victims. I also posted messages about a dangerous drug that could be mistook for magic mushrooms.” 

“What happened?”

“A friend and a couple guys I know think I’ve lost it. One accused me of finding religion.” Liam groaned.

“Are you okay?”

“Life was easier before I met you.”

That was honest at least. Liam keep his eyes on the floor as the general crossed the room. He’d hope for an explanation. Families were complicated. Whatever happened at the Doughtery Christmas was more complicated than adults not wanting to take the time to play board games with a small child.

“Tell me. Please.”

“My grandmother is playing mind games.”

After a lifetime connected to British and Irish intelligence, that wasn’t surprising. “How?”

“Dad invited me for Christmas to apologize. I wanted to believe it was legit.” Liam closed his eyes. “I told my grandmother I cared about you. She already knew.”

None of that was surprising nor explained Liam’s behavior. “And?”

“The day I met Nessa, I was running errands for my grandmother.” Liam shook his head. “Have you ever realized something about someone? Just suddenly understood.” He paused. “My father called because my grandmother told him to. Everything she told me about you and your father and whatever. She wasn’t worried. She was testing me.”

“What did she ask you to do?”

“Meet with a friend of her last husband. He has some questions about Torchwood.” Liam looked up and met the general’s eyes. “If I didn’t tell you, she’d have me spying on you. Now that I have, you’ll never trust me again.”

The general offered his hand, and after a moment Liam accepted. “Your grandmother mentioned the 456.”

Liam nodded.

“The British government, at least, agreed to turn over an insane number of children. The leaders of course concluded they would hand over other people’s kids. Jack got in the way. It wasn’t the first time the alien or aliens demanded kids and it wouldn’t be the last. Rather than let Jack deal with the aliens, the government decided to take out the Cardiff Torchwood facility and everyone in it. Jack got everyone out and was seriously injured in the explosion that leveled the hub. Despite everything, my parents saved those kids.”

“I know,” Liam said quietly.

The general squeezed Liam’s hand. “Working for Torchwood isn’t easy. The motivation is different than a government. There is no god or country involved. Our job is to protect the world and save as many lives as we can.” 


	2. Chapter 2

** Free Your Spirit; Manchester, England **

John Hart opted to use a portal device rather than drive for hours one-way. The closed rehabilitation facility was one of several locations Dr. Palfreyman’s journals mentioned. Before making calls, Jack wanted to confirm the information. Which John found reasonable; the woman was brilliant but exposure to the dreamfish retrovirus drove her insane.

The blueprint Ianto downloaded to a tablet showed a rather simple layout. The information indicated a basement. If the facility’s operating information was accurate, the basement wasn’t used. A quick scan with his wrist-strap found nothing unexpected. 

With everyone in the hub on New Years Eve, Anwen ran Global searches. The information on Gorgon-Glen was worse than either he or the general remembered. The alternative Nanogene experiment was based on flawed information distributed by the corporation as a distraction. From what they knew, the retrovirus was designed initially for some type of genetic cleansing. During the testing, a different version of biomechs were discovered. When the general and Miriam finally located the main facility, those in charge destroyed their database and committed suicide before Torchwood troops reached them. While the files didn’t tell them who or where, they did provide an idea of what they were dealing with. 

John used a lock-pick to enter the front door. The secluded area and lack of security meant few witness concerns. Another scan inside showed a distortion of some type in the basement. It could mean any number of things. Under the circumstances, none were good.

He tapped his ear com. “Jack, I need one of the bots programmed to scan.”

“Anything specific?”

John explained the distortion. “I don’t want to risk it.”

“Ianto found an arrangement between the facility and Manchester. It offered the city a discount for individuals sentenced to rehab for alcohol or drug-related offensives. Social service agencies said a higher than normal number of homeless and at-risk for homeless individuals were sentence to rehab. He’s having trouble locating everyone sent to the facility.”

“Kailen’s research project program is going to have to be expanded. We’re going to need to check every in-patient facility that housed the homeless and other easy targets.”

“The general’s discussing it with Miriam Morgans. The Refuge has similar concerns.”

“Did the general mention what Miriam will do if she finds a facility?” The older version could be extreme. The current Miriam wasn’t as controlled.

“Yeah.”

John continued through the building. From the amount of furniture, he wondered if the closure was temporary or sudden. “Did we do an environment scan of the area already?”

“No. Why?”

John explained about the furniture. “Minimal dust and no evidence of insects or rodents.”

“The building could be maintained.”

It was possible. But there should be active security, if the owners had an active interest. John did another wrist-strap scan. The basement had more than one distortion. Which didn’t prove anything, but he set an automated, remote medical scan to monitor his health. 

A thudding sound announce one of the bots arrived upstairs. “What’s wrong with the bot that just arrived?”

“Interference,” Jack replied.

“Have Luc send an Atmore drone.” John reached for the nearest wall as a wave of dizziness disrupted his vision.

“John?”

The buzzing in his ears dropped him to his knees. 

“Medical emergency,” his wrist-strap announced.

 

** Iggy’s Pizzeria; Cardiff, Wales **

A New Years party sounded ridiculous. After everything, Anwen Williams needed something ridiculous. Listening to Teleri sing karaoke definitely fit. She could sing some, but the song was awful. Anwen set her pizza slice back on the plate and finished chewing. 

“What is this?”

“One of the most popular club songs. A new female pop star.” Wynne explained.

Anwen shook her head. “A woman wrote this? She has no self-respect.”

Wynne laughed. “Teleri thinks it’s romantic.”

“No.” Anwen shook her head. 

They ate as the song finished.

“What did you do for Christmas? My mum’s brother showed up drunk and tried to punch my father.”

Anwen wondered what to say. A church was poisoned on Christmas Eve disrupting Ianto’s plans. Her parents transported her father’s pregnant girlfriend to the hub. They still had three children in quarantine lock-down. “A relative bought me and Trefor a big pile of presents. Trefor got a Millennium Falcon replica bigger than a dinner plate.”

“The original Star Wars ship? That’s cool. My mum’s family bought me clothes. That Teleri would like.”

Anwen chuckled. She could picture that. Wynne’s mum had the same taste in clothes as Teleri. Teleri’s mum would never let her wear them. “Send me pictures. I’ll send them to my dad for birthday present requests.”

“What’s so funny?” Teleri demanded walking back to the table. 

Anwen sipped her drink. Then explained the picture request.

“If only my mum would let me borrow your clothes.” Teleri sat across from them. “My grandparents, my dad’s parents, gave me clothes. They were…” She shook her head. “Mum said we’d have a laundry accident.”

“I got that CD I wanted.” John claimed he picked it out, but Anwen knew Ken had. 

“Anwen?” Wynne asked. “You don’t sound good.”

Anwen patted her pockets for her mobile as her vision wavered. “Don’t touch anything on the table.” She leaned forward trying to keep from falling out of her chair. 

“Hey.” Teleri moved around the table.

“Food, don’t touch food.” Anwen could barely see her mobile. 

“Anwen?” Jack sounded concerned. 

“Fish. Dream… dream… fish.” Anwen fell on the floor and could hear Teleri grab her phone. 

“Who is this?” Teleri sounded distant.

 

** Torchwood Three **

Gwen Cooper stood in the infirmary between the cots holding her daughter and John. The screens had been placed next to each other. They looked like Nanogene readings. Except they didn’t have a fully operational Nanogene station, and if they did, it could only be used on one person at a time.

The door opened and Dmitri stepped inside. He’d been having a rough time since Dawn died. Gwen doubted Dmitri had set foot in the infirmary for four days until John and Anwen were brought in. 

“What’s wrong with them?”

Dmitri stopped on the other side of John. “You’ll think I’m crazy.”

Gwen crossed her arms. “I’ve worked for Torchwood a long time.”

“John has fused Nanogenes from the original Nanogene station.” Dmitri ran a hand over the alchemy device on his wrist. “When I healed Anwen the energy went over the connection between her and John and fused Nanogenes to him.” Dmitri mistakenly thought he’d nearly killed her but had saved Anwen’s life instead.

“When John is injured, he heals. The Nanogene process is internalized.”

It took Gwen a moment, but she realized what he was saying. “The Nanogenes in John are healing Anwen?”

Dmitri hesitated. “Anwen was exposed to the retrovirus. They’re both unconscious because the Nanogenes are fighting to keep Anwen from being altered.”

“Can you use your device again?”

“No. It would probably kill them both.”

“How do we stop it?!” Gwen felt herself losing it. “Kids survive it.”

Dmitri shook his head. “Maddox is the exception. The kids in quarantine are permanently altered.” He hesitated. “No evidence of Rift abilities.”

The tears streamed down her face as she struggled with her temper. “There has to be something.”

“We need more information.”

“How did Michael survive?”

“I don’t know.”

 

** The Arctic Observatory; Prince of Wales Island, Nunavut, Canada **

Studying an actual alien spaceship was incredible. Villetta Thirion headed for her computer lab. Sometimes she still wondered if it was all a dream. The Torchwood facility was better than any university or corporation. Jerard’s government lab couldn’t possibly be comparable. With the translation device from Cardiff, she was working her way through translating the ship’s database. It would take a lifetime to understand.

The door slid open revealing the room with varying sized monitors and different types of computers. It reminded her of the labs in her cousin Luc’s facility in Nova Scotia. She’d stolen many of his designs from his lab layouts to his impressive robotic satellite. Although he had no way of knowing it currently, she’d given him credit for everything in her records.

Ettie checked the satellite monitoring station first. One identified energy in an unused facility in Alaska and automatically relocated to monitor the location. Luc’s mapping drones identified it at some point and he dispatched a drone for observation. The South African kid with computer skills was almost as impressive as her cousin. He’d hacked a survivalist compound of some kind in the Yukon Territory and up-linked the drone through their Internet to avoid the US government.

She’d have felt guilty not telling Luc about the satellites if Nova Scotia actually needed them. At some point the main Torchwood facility would find out. She dreaded the inevitable conversation with Captain Harkness. He wouldn’t appreciate that she reactivated the Observatory and operated outside his control. Not that he could do anything about it.

A tone sounded identifying the Other Keara. It sounded like wind chimes and was more than a bit creepy. Ettie stood up and looked around. The strange woman came and went using technology Ettie couldn’t guess at. At least Other Keara didn’t look like a malfunctioning hologram anymore. That helped.

“I need access to the Global database.” Other Keara walked across the lab having entered from a part of the room that didn’t have a door.

“Okay.” Ettie moved to another station. The mainframe database was a copy of one from the Falklands. “What are you looking for?”

“Dr. Owen Harper.”

“The one you’re reintroducing?” Ettie quickly found his file. 

“Yeah. There’s an unforeseen problem in Cardiff.”

That didn’t sound good. “What happened?”

“An arse went to poison a little girl and poisoned the wrong one.” She sighed. “The child he targeted would have survived without a problem. The child he poisoned is another story.”

Ettie knew better than to ask the obvious. Other Keara would have allowed the poisoning if it didn’t disrupt her plans. “He’ll get what he deserves?”

“If I can fix my mistake.”

If? That didn’t sound good.

“I need you to flag files for Dr. Harper.” She motioned toward titles on the screen. “I have to reintroduce him sooner than I intended.”

“What about the woman arriving in Alaska?”

Other Keara paused. “I’ll find another one, if I have to.”

Ettie wondered when she became the voice of reason. “I’d prefer you save this one. She doesn’t deserve to die.”

“She’s not a priority.”

Ettie nodded, trying to keep her temper under wraps. “Since I can’t help with Dr. Harper, is there something I can do for the woman?”

Other Keara tilted her head to one side and stared off into space briefly. “Drop Luc a warning prior to her arrival. They need to send a bot with a portal device instead of the drone that can carry a person.”


	3. Chapter 3

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

** Saturday, January 2, 2021 **

Sitting in the conference room, Aman Oliveira reminded himself he’d volunteered. Between the death in December and two comas, all of Jack’s team was struggling. From what Aman could tell, Ianto was the only other person in the office functioning. Protectiveness was one of the few things he and Jack in common. He wouldn’t risk Ianto. Which left Jack the only investigator during a crisis, and made it harder to deal with him.

The door opened again. “We have CCTV footage.”

“I have a question.” Which would make him even more popular. “Where is the information on the other two girls?”

From Jack’s expression, he hadn’t thought of that yet. “Why?”

“Anwen attends a parochial school that accepts both wealthy kids and kids whose families make them abduction risks.” Aman held up a tablet. “According to this report, all three girls ordered the same drink. Your report said that the drug, or whatever it is, was found in Anwen’s drink.”

“The server.”

“What?” 

“They ordered the same drink,” Jack explained. “There was no way to know which girl would get the drug unless he or she handed it directly to her.”

Aman nodded. “The police report stated that the food and drink arrived while one girl was singing.”

“Yeah. Wynne Purcell was at the table and Teleri Voyles was singing.” 

“How old are the girls?”

“Eleven. We have files on both families. Wynne’s mother works with city media. Teleri’s father and grandfather are ministers.”

Jack made Aman think of his father. Paranoid enough to do background checks on eleven year olds. “Anything controversial?”

“The Voyles have a conservative church. Nothing like The Light and The Way. No hate. Just conservative.”

“Dr. Palfreyman’s motivation was exposing Gordon-Glen or an affiliate and made no effort to resist Torchwood arresting her. Unless her partner is retaliating, Anwen wasn’t the target.”

Jack rubbed his face. “We didn’t consider that.”

“You would have.” Another thought occurred to Aman. “Wynne and Teleri are both Welsh? White with dark hair and dark eyes? Do they wear their hair the same way? What type of lighting does the restaurant have?”

“Ianto was commenting about that.” Jack shook his head. 

“How much sleep have you had?”

“Not enough.” Jack took a moment to think. “Wynne has lighter hair and eyes. She couldn’t be confused with Anwen based on appearance. Teleri has a similar hair color and style.”

“Teleri could have been the target.” Aman paused. “You need sleep, Jack. Idrissa will help with reviewing materials, and the Atmore people need something more to do.”

“We could use the help.”

“You need to sleep,” Aman emphasized. “Ianto can coordinate evidence review.”

 

Gwen Cooper’s mobile rang giving her an excuse to leave the infirmary. Nothing had changed in hours. She stepped down the hall and checked her phone. The screen said Meredith Purcell, Wynne’s mother. 

“Good morning.”

“Gwen,” Meredith said nervously, “I didn’t know who to call.”

“It’s all right. What happened?”

“Teleri. She doesn’t like restrictions. Her family was being very strict after what happened at the restaurant. She headed to my house. There is a car that keeps driving passed my house. She thinks she was followed. She took a picture of a car with her mobile. It’s the same car.”

“Can I talk to her, please?”

A minute later, Teleri said, “Mrs. Williams.”

“What can you tell me about the car?” Gwen hoped it was family security.

“It’s a lot like Mr. Jones’ car. Older, common. I saw it a few times before I realized it was following me.”

Gwen forgot how much Teleri and Anwen had in common. “Did you get the license plate or the driver?”

“Yeah. Where do I send the pictures?”

Gwen recited Ianto’s mobile number. 

“You could have just said Mr. Jones.” 

The attitude made Gwen smile. It had been so quiet since Anwen was brought to the infirmary. “Can you think of any reason someone would follow you?”

Teleri hesitated. “My dad and my grandpa are ministers.” The attitude was fading. “There was a church on Christmas Eve. They were poisoned. They’re all dead.”

Anwen mentioned the dreamfish drug or whatever it was before she collapsed. “Does your family know Reverend Dacus?”

“Yeah.” She hesitated. “The Light and The Way were misguided. They said bad things about people and made other churches look bad.” 

“I need to call your parents.”

“Uh. I didn’t tell my parents you worked for Torchwood or that Anwen’s carer is involved with her uncle.” Teleri hesitated. “My parents said some ugly things about your family after they found out.”

“Please give the phone back to Meredith.”

“I didn’t know.” Meredith sounded uneasy. Anwen told her more than once that Teleri had more in common with Wynne’s mother than she did with her own.

“Will you call Mrs. Purcell? I will be there as soon as possible.”

“I can.”

“It would be best to relocate your family. Is David home?”

“No.” Meredith lowered her voice. “I threw him out on Christmas.”

That should have been in the police report. Meredith handled city media and might have pulled strings. If she didn’t, and it wasn’t an oversight, they had a problem. “I’m sorry.” Gwen knew she would have to ask some uncomfortable questions. Wynne’s father should have been an initial suspect.

 

Aman Oliveira set up a laptop on John’s desk. His Skype at home was recorded which helped when his father called. When Kailen’s father died, he had abandonment issues. From future Torchwood files, Kailen learned he’d died in the original time line. With the added stress of working with Torchwood, he had trouble coping. Getting married resolved some of it. But Idrissa made Kailen nervous. The Aman from the alternative time line married Idrissa. One more bizarre complication.

Trefor walked across the room as Skype loaded. The boy coped better than anyone could expect, if he understood what was going on. “Do you play chess?” He sounded hopeful.

“Yeah.” Aman played with Kailen when they had time.

“There is a wood box in the big drawer.” Trefor motioned across the desk.

Aman’s first thought was to say no. But the child’s sister was in a coma. “I have to talk to Idrissa first.”

“Nigeria.” Trefor climbed into the desk.

The impressive box set looked old. Aman set it on the desk in front of Trefor and wondered if the boy knew how to play. Not that it mattered. Trefor opened the game and started setting it up. 

Aman sent Idrissa a text message over Skype and waited. When the call rang, he adjusted the headset and accepted. “Where are you?” Idrissa’s computer normally flagged Kailen’s recording software.

“Cardiff.” Aman than typed, “I’m in Ianto’s office with one of the kids. He can hear me but not you.”

“It is not safe. Jack will get you killed.”

Aman expected that. “Ianto needs help reviewing information. CCTV, police reports, reviews. We need a new approach to tracking people. If Hana’s up for helping.”

“You need to go back to Nova Scotia.”

Kailen misunderstood Idrissa’s concern. It wasn’t attraction. Idrissa didn’t see his late husband or even a younger version of his husband, but rather saw a stepson. It was one more bizarre aspects of Torchwood and their new lives.

“When the situation’s resolved.”

“No field work.”

Aman laughed. “Yes, dad.”

“Do I want to ask?” Ianto said from across the room.

“I’m talking to Idrissa.”

Ianto shook his head.

“We will help.” Idrissa looked resigned. “Give Ianto the computer.”

 

Leaving the hub was not Dmitri Petrescu’s first choice. With two patients in the infirmary, and three in quarantine, he needed to stay close. But the situation involving Teleri raised multiple questions. Using pictures the girl took with her mobile, Ianto determined the car was recently released from the police impound and the paperwork was problematic. The driver didn’t appear to be the owner on record and the photograph was not clear enough for facial recognition.

The car suggested a connection with Noble Industries and Gordon-Glen rather than someone connected to Dr. Palfreyman. Following Teleri didn’t fit with an attempt to poison her. Either observation or an abduction attempt made as much sense as anything. It also offered a possible connection to Maddox Tray. Dmitri needed to scan the child to determine whether or not she’d been exposed. Gwen expected a problem with the Voyles family cooperating with Torchwood.

When they arrived, there were two police cars out front. Best case scenario was Mrs. Voyles called the police about the car following Teleri. Dmitri doubt that would result in two police cars arriving before they did. He wasn’t sure what the other possibilities were, but doubted they were good.

“Let me talk to the constables. The Voyles may have called the police on Mrs. Purcell for contacting Torchwood.”

Dmitri could unfortunately picture that. Gwen led up the sidewalk to the house. A uniformed officer opened the door and motioned them inside. From the man’s expression, Dmitri doubted the constables were there for them. A woman and two girls were huddled on the sofa. 

“What happened?”

“Mum was in a hit-and-run car accident.” Teleri wiped the tears from her eyes. “She was coming to get me.”

Gwen motioned one of the constables aside. 

Dmitri chose a chair across from from the sofa. “I’m Dr. Petrescu. Do you know what Torchwood does?”

“You hunt arses and aliens.”

Dmitri could see how someone might confuse Teleri and Anwen. “Basically.” He removed a small, hand-held device he’d finally figured out how to use. “I need to test for a possible problem that could explain why the man was following you.”

“You need parental permission,” Meredith Purcell stated.

“Not in this case. It’s to determine if she’s been exposed to what made Anwen sick.”

“I’m not sick,” Teleri said.

“The poison affects people differently. Anwen had the most extreme reaction we’ve seen in a child.” Caused by the alchemy affected Nanogenes struggling to prevent damage. “It’s possible you were exposed without obvious symptoms.” The only reason they knew about Maddox was his symbiont. “If you set your hand on the screen, I can test you.” Which wasn’t true, but he didn’t want to explain alien medical technology he barely understood.

Teleri held out her hand and he did the scan quickly. The results were good and bad. Teleri had been exposed. It made him think of Michael. The dreamfish contaminate caused no damage and was inert. She wasn’t dangerous, but she was going to Torchwood. 


	4. Chapter 4

** Free Your Spirit; Manchester, England **

General Trefor Williams reviewed the facility’s blueprints generated by his wrist-strap. The distortions reminded him of the London sleep center. Except there were no dreamers nor any indication of what caused the distortions. John’s Atmore drone request gave the general other ideas. He modified maintenance bot schematics with Atmore in mind. While it wasn’t Atmore energy, the new bots didn’t crash into the walls.

“Is the analysis of the construction material complete?” The general asked over the ear com modification that connected him to Four.

“Yeah,” Liam said. “There is an issue with the basement. I don’t understand the details, but it shows a list of uses for the type of construction. All involve keeping water in or out.”

“An aquarium?”

“Big enough to hold Nessie.”

The general could only assume Liam meant the Loch Ness Monster. He suspected that was one of the myths or legends Torchwood encouraged over the years. Real or not, it kept people from looking for other mysteries. “Any residual?”

“Evidence of sea water.” Liam hesitated. “There is a note on chemical composition of the sea water.”

“Do you know how to send it to Luc?”

“Yeah.”

“Send a note with the information that it’s connected to Gordon-Glen.”

There was not a single possibility the general could think of to explain the facility having a large, underground aquarium with a custom environment. He couldn’t help but think there was a connection to the dreamfish. While the fish did gain toxicity by what they ate or absorbed from their environment, and were easy to contaminate, he agreed with Eryn; there were easier ways to kill people.

“I have an out there thought, Trefor. CN is created by contaminating mushrooms with alien reptile eggs. They need the same conditions. Could Gordon-Glen have another alien creature? One that excretes something dreamfish absorb.”

“Send Luc another message asking him that, please.”

“Ianto tracked a business in Liverpool by tracing aquarium supplies. The equipment necessary for large aquariums has to be specialized, and regulated. Hold on a minute.” Liam paused. “A supplier in Liverpool complained about a customer that kept accidentally killing snails. Snails are used to clean aquariums but can get out of control and are difficult to kill intentionally without harming the fish. Equipment and snail purchases might be a way to track Gordon-Glen. Add the information on geneticists.”

“Send a copy of the information you sent Luc, what you asked him, and the tracking information to Ianto. He tracked CN from Africa to Wales with less to go on.”

A few minutes later, Liam said, “Sent. Trefor, you should get out of there. We know the dreamfish drug can be released in the air. Until we know more, that building could be another Noble Industries.”

Shit, Liam was right. The bots hadn’t found anything, but they hadn’t accessed the entire building yet. “Jack needs to have this building officially quarantined. I’ll seal it.”

 

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Aman Oliviera took the laptop back. Despite how much Ianto and Idrissa had in common, working together was complicated. Ianto thought future Aman, Idrissa’s husband, was a lunatic. Idrissa hated Jack. The conflict appeared to be their loyalties. What Aman couldn’t figure out was how it came up in conversation.

Reviewing information on the Manchester facility Dr. Palfreyman connected to Gordon-Glen made him think of information he’d seen on former Fellowship facilities. While the location was advertised as a rehabilitation facility for various addictions, it looked more like a religious institution. Subjecting the homeless and low income people to religion as a condition of services wasn’t surprising. Except it didn’t appear to be a mainstream religion. 

“Your turn,” Trefor said.

Aman eyed the board a moment and moved a piece. He had two moves to checkmate.

“You’re winning.” The boy sounded happy about that.

He hoped the kid wouldn’t get upset. Kailen won when they played unless he was distracted. “You’ll get better.”

“No one will play.”

“They’re busy.” It had to be rough. His family worked a lot. “If Ianto can spare a computer, Kailen or Idrissa could play online.” Aman needed to ask.

“Really?” Trefor’s eyes lit up. “They won’t mind losing? Uncle Ianto and mum won’t play anymore. I always win.”

Aman looked across the room. “Do you know how to play chess?” 

Ianto eyed him. “Yes.”

The exchange made him reassess the game. The kid played impressively. Kailen and Luc were the only people he played anymore. Kailen won. Aman had a chance against Luc. “You beat all the adults?”

“Not Uncle Jack. He wins. John still wins at Backgammon because I need to learn the game.”

That explained Ianto’s attitude. Losing to Kailen or Luc wasn’t a big deal. Losing to a three-year-old was another story. “Kailen played competitively. You’d have a hard time beating him.”

“You’ll ask?”

“Yeah.” Aman figured Kailen would be amused. Most people he could easily beat refused to play chess with him.

Skype sounded again on the computer. Aman returned the bud to his ear, adjusted the microphone and accepted the call. A video appeared on the screen, but it wasn’t Idrissa. The young woman had to be Hana. She was the only one at the Nigeria compound with a headscarf that he knew of.

“Good morning.”

“I have an idea for tracking corporations that use unwilling and/or desperate people for test subjects. They will target people that won’t be missed or the police ignore.” She spoke quietly with a Saudi Arabian accent. Recognizable because both his father and Basanjo had Middle Eastern contacts. “Countries track population statistics. Homeless, crime, social services. In areas with less government interest, international organizations track the people.” She took a moment. “Different problems cause different changes. More jobs means less homeless. Less jobs mean more homeless. That is pretty easy to calculate. If a country has economic issues and the homeless population is shrinking, there is a problem. If it’s not a health crisis, for example, then something unexpected happened to the population. If we had software capable of evaluating statistics for ten years for any given area, we would know what’s normal and what’s not. Unless an offender has been operating in an area most or all of that time.”

Aman stared at her for a moment. “That’s impressive. It’s Hana?”

“Yes.”

“Would you write a detailed explanation of that idea? Use London or another large city you’re familiar with as a starting place. Kailen can write the software, but he need specifics.”

“I can do that.” Hana had a deer-in-the-head-lights expression. 

“Good.” Aman smiled. “We’re based out of Canada. If you need help, Eryn is good at finding information. Idrissa can introduce you.”

“Thank you.” The call disconnected.

Aman looked over at Ianto again. “One of the Atmore people has a solid idea. It should work for victims of corporations and crime.” One of the Atmore mysteries was why. It might have made it possible for Torchwood to recruit Hana early.

 

Ianto Jones stepped into the alchemy lab. Jack needed sleep and Ianto didn’t want to wake him. If it was simply the information from Manchester, Ianto could argue it wasn’t urgent. Teleri Voyles required immediate attention. It was the second case involving a minor. Social services complained about Maddox, but Jack spoke to Mrs. Tray who didn’t have custody because of her injuries and her mother’s refusal to allow Maddox in the house. Social services was unlikely to argue about Teleri because she tested positive for a contagion that was documented by the Cardiff police department as being a WMD. Her family would make noise.

“What time is it?”

“Noon.” Ianto crossed the room.

Jack sat up. “What happened?”

“Gwen brought in Mrs. Purcell, Wynne and Teleri Voyles. Mrs. Voyles’ car was struck intentionally on the way to the Purcells’. She’s in the hospital. The car was found burning ten minutes later. A different car followed Teleri to the Purcells. Best guess, it was a Gordon-Glen related abduction attempt. Teleri tested positive for the retrovirus, but it didn’t affect her.”

Jack rubbed her face. “That’s what we need to treat Anwen.”

“The general found something in Manchester.” Ianto explained. 

“An aquatic alien toxic to snails. Has Luc said anything yet?”

“No.” Ianto smiled. “Liam told Luc the Manchester aquarium was large enough to hold Nessie.”

Jack smiled. 

“Eryn sent a message asking for clarification.” Ianto took a moment. “Whether or not we were looking for a Plesiosaur.”

Jack swung his legs over the edge of the bed. “Are they toxic to snails?”

“If you want to get swore at in Armenian, you can ask.”

Jack stood and reached for Ianto. He stepped into a hug. 

“How are you doing?” Jack asked a couple minutes later.

“I’ve been better.” 

“Do you need a break?”

“No. I need to get lunch.” Ianto said. “At some point, we’re going to need to figure out relaxation. Ken and Rhys got into an argument over Michael while Gwen was at the Purcells’. Dmitri needs time off. Gwen claims she’s fine; she’s not.”


	5. Chapter 5

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Jack Harkness stopped in the infirmary to check on Anwen. John also, not that he’d admit it. Rhys sat next to Anwen’s cot reading a book and looking exhausted. Losing Dawn a week before Anwen landed in a coma they had no a way to treat was rough. Jack wondered if Rhys needed something to help with.

“Are you up for reviewing information?”

Rhys set his book aside. “Yeah.”

“We’re trying to track a company by unusual materials and shipping problems.”

“That I can help with.” Rhys stood.

Jack wished he could offer reassurance. Between Michael and Teleri, they had hope. The problem was they didn’t have any one capable of evaluating the situation. Neither Dmitri nor Malcolm had the knowledge nor aptitude. Dmitri was a general practitioner, and Malcolm would likely be a pediatrician in time. The question was how to find a doctor they could trust in the time they had.

His mobile rang. “Harkness.”

“Hey.” Cowley sounded uneasy. The man’s change in behavior was puzzling. One moment he was dodging Torchwood, trying to keep them from cases, and the next he was allowing someone to believe they were lovers. The explanation was in his connection to Jodi, but that hadn’t been determined yet. “Have you determined who was following Teleri Voyles yet?”

“Yeah. We have solid footage of the car and driver from CCTV.” There was no reason to share that Teleri was the primary reason they had the details. 

“Have you found him yet?” There was something in Cowley’s tone.

“No. We should have him ID’d soon.”

Cowley hesitated. “Werner Heartfield is the last alias. According to Interpol, he’s suspected of human-trafficking and related crimes.”

“How did you find him?”

“What’s left of him was found in an alley. The killer hit him with the force of a car, crushing him. Heartfield’s face and hands are intact. His wallet was left open next to his body.”

“Text me the location. Unless Dr. Floyd can explain that, it’s a Torchwood case.”

Cowley hesitated. “The Torchwood agent at the Einian Baines scene threw a man several feet without touching him.” 

“He’s in a medically induced coma. It’s complicated, but he didn’t kill Heartfield’s.”

“Then it’s another  George situation.”

The two men killed in Forest Farm by an unknown entity or creature thought they were being chased by a neon blue dragon named George. 

“Send me the information.”

Either the man was killed by a Rift or other psychic ability or an entity like Maddox had. The person who hit Mrs. Voyles’ car was probably connected to Dr. Palfreyman. They had to consider that possibility unless it could be ruled out. The only explanation he had for that was the person wanted to prevent Voyles from removing her daughter from Purcell’s before Torchwood arrived. If the goal was protecting a survivor, the man who hit Voyles could have killed the man stalking Teleri. That person could want Torchwood to develop a cure. Or it was to protect Teleri.

 

** Asda Cardiff Bay Superstore; Cardiff, Wales **

The hub needed a kitchen, Ianto Jones thought. Takeaway was great, but with the current crisis and everyone staying at the hub until it was resolved, they needed a way to prepare food. They had small refrigerators in places and sinks, but no where to prepare food. He had no idea if they could have an oven, but a microwave was reasonable. He opted to get one and knew he’d need at least one more at some point. 

With a few microwave specific dishes, they’d have options at least. He’d reviewed his list and realized he forgot Ken’s requests. Ianto found his mobile and quickly dialed. As it rang, he was distracted by a display of baby clothes. With everyone stressed and unable to discuss Dawn or Michael everyone bought baby items instead. 

“Hey.” Ken sounded tired.

“I forgot your list. Could you text it?”

“Yeah. Would you get a couple more baby blankets? The teddy bear ones Gwen bought are dirty and Michael doesn’t like the others.”

A feather landed on the pile of onesies in front of him. “Could you ask Jack if he needs anything?”

“Is something wrong?”

“Yeah.” Ianto didn’t want to pull his gun in a grocery store full of civilians. 

“I will find someone.”

Ianto kept the line open and tried to casually look around. The problem most likely involved Gordon-Glen but was not the only active case. John’s son Robert was a possible problem. The alien Oldaria and the cult she was protecting at-risk girls from hadn’t been found. It didn’t have to be a Torchwood problem, he reminded himself, just an imminent threat.

A man approached quickly from an aisle and pressed a gun to Ianto’s side. “We need to talk.” He sounded tired and frustrated.

“All right.” Ianto couldn’t help but wonder at the number of people who pointed guns at him. He rarely did field work. The hardware store, coffee shop and now the grocery store.

“Torchwood has no idea what it’s dealing with.”

What’s new, Ianto thought. 

“The dreamfish drug,” he said derisively, “Isn’t a drug. Or a disease.”

“What is it?” Ianto kept his voice even as his heart raced. 

“An infestation. It needs to be exterminated.”

“How?”

“Kill the hosts.”

Unless he was a Gordon-Glen agent with an agenda, that suggested another group involved. They didn’t have enough details to know what was happening. “The survivors are children.”

“They’re not human. The infestation causes a hive mind.”

Nothing they current knew suggested that. “What does that mean?”

“It’s like the 456. The aliens are taking hosts.”

That conspiracy theory had circulated since the 456 attack. Except the 456 alien or aliens wanted human children to use like drugs. It was extortion. 

“Why?”

“It’s an invasion.”

“Captain Harkness is the lead investigator.”

“He’s an alien.” The man moved the gun against his back. 

“Let him go,” a young male voice said.

“They found me.” The gunman whispered. 

It sounded like a bad horror movie. “We need to stay calm.” The kid either had really bad timing or the gunman wasn’t completely wrong.

“We are calm, eye candy.”

Shit. There was only one person who called him that. John was unstable without being networked somehow with a group of traumatized kids. “Jack will be here soon.”

“What did you do?” The gunman asked nervously.

“You need to put the gun down.” If it was John, he could have access to his Rift ability or Anwen’s depending on how it worked. Then Ianto realized it could be Anwen. She knew John used that unfortunate nickname when annoyed. “We’re in a crowded grocery store. No one needs to get hurt.”

“They’re not going to get me.” 

The gunman was getting shaky. Then his hand suddenly moved. A moment later he was thrown sideways. The gun fired; a bullet struck Ianto in the leg. 

“You need to sit down.” The child approached.

Ianto doubted he could get back up if he did. “Who are you?”

“From an existential perspective?”

“Katrine?” Ianto didn’t want to think about a hive mind connecting John and Katrine Palfreyman.

“Once.”

“Please let the child go.”

“He’s safe, Mr. Jones. The others wouldn’t let me harm him.” The child hesitated. “I have to go.”

“Ianto,” Jack said a moment later. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. The guy on the floor shot me by accident. He might have information about dreamfish.”

 

Dmitri Petrescu managed to talk Jack into being able to interrogate the gunman from the grocery store. It was a wonder Jack didn’t kill the pathetic man for shooting Ianto. Ken listened to the situation over the phone and wanted to hurt the man. Dmitri set a maintenance bot outside the room, in case anyone got ideas before he was ready to ask questions.

Llwyr Lindon was handcuffed through a loop on the table which was bolted to the floor. Dmitri had already spent a few minutes with Lindon and concluded he was mentally impaired. First he needed to rule out dreamfish. Then determine if any of his information was valid. What Ianto described from the unknown kid supported that. If he was just a nutter, he could be transferred to a facility. Otherwise they had to resolve the dreamfish situation before he could be transferred to a facility.

“Mr. Lindon, I’m Dr. Petrescu.” He set a chair back from the table to make sure Lindon couldn’t head-butt him if he stood. “This is Torchwood. By involving yourself in a Torchwood case, and attacking one of my co-workers, you’re under Torchwood jurisdiction.” It sounded good. “From your conversation with Mr. Jones, you have information pertaining to a life-threatening situation that is connected to bio-terrorism. If you do not cooperate, the case can be transferred to UNIT. Great Britain takes terrorism charges seriously.”

“I’m not a terrorist.”

Dmitri nodded. “You presented information that is not public knowledge about a terrorist threat. How did you come by that information?” He then used the hand-held device to scan Lindon. It thankfully didn’t need physical contact.

Lindon pointed at his head. “The voices. I need my protection back.”

“Where did you hear the voices?”

Lindon hesitated. “A hospital in Liverpool. They were holding me hostage and experimenting on me.”

Dr. Katrine Palfreyman escaped from a facility in Liverpool for the criminally insane. There was no information that she escaped with anyone else. If Lindon was in the same location, he was dangerous. Dmitri didn’t like the idea that his judgment was off.

“How did you escape?”

“One of the hive minds showed me the way out.”

Dmitri reluctantly accepted the conversation could potentially be true. “Did you meet other hive minds?”

“A few. Katrine is the only adult. The alien targets kids.”

“And they said they’re invading?”

“No. They lie.”

Lindon was a conspiracy theorist who found an actual conspiracy. “Why did you approach Mr. Jones?”

“He’s connected to the earth. He shouldn’t be involved with an alien.”


	6. Chapter 6

** Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

Luc Sarkisian rubbed his forehead. If it happened, they knew it was possible. No matter how many times he told himself that, the pounding in his head didn’t lessen. When he realized General Williams sent him information about an alien sea creature, he decided that Nessie the imaginary Plesiosaur was preferable. 

“Do we have the ocean information?” Luc asked as Eryn entered Kailen’s lab. With Aman in Cardiff, and Kailen worried, it made sense to work from there. Chasing cryptids was not something Luc needed his lab for.

“Yeah.” Eryn walked over to him and slid a hand over the small of his back. “Google and Wikipedia have information on dreamfish. Sarpa salpa is a type of sea bream. It can be found in the Atlantic as far north as the UK, the Mediterranean and the Bay of Biscay.” She handed him a tablet. “I wonder if the creature can survive in our ocean. Maybe the dreamfish can adapt to the alien’s environment.”

Luc reviewed the information. There were questions about chemicals found in the Manchester aquarium. Unless there was another explanation for the odd chemicals, it had something to do with the alien’s requirements. If the creature needed an aquatic environment not available on earth, the big question was how it got to earth in the first place.

“Killing snails is complicated in a normal aquarium. I called a few stores. The chemicals used to kill an overpopulation of snails can disrupt the entire environment. If the creature secreted the chemicals, protecting the snails could be difficult.” Eryn shrugged. “Either they need the snails to clean a toxic aquarium or they’re being used like canaries in a mine.”

“Kailen,” Luc said, “I need you to search Internet sites and find out if any of the chemicals are present in any body of water on earth.” He handed Kailen the tablet.

“Including pollution?”

“Yeah.”

 

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Aman Oliveira reviewed the facial recognition, and background results, after Ianto headed for the store. Werner Heartfield didn’t exist. He had enough identification to move around, and he could probably get on a ferry. No passport was found. The fake identity appeared to be a few months old. The first known use was in Liverpool within twenty-four hours of Dr. Katrine Palfreyman escaping. Ianto’s notes led to the Cort Tray case and Maddox. The time line fit. Jack would have to coordinate between Cardiff and Liverpool.

Information from Europol and Interpol uncovered the possibility of a dozen identities over the last fifteen years. Some had photographs, possible photographs and a few were linked based on various investigations. Poland had an outstanding warrant for crimes that might have been affected by a statute of limitations. Unless the man was a government agent, he had organized crime ties. 

Aman looked up from his computer. “We have a problem with Heartfield.” Aman gave a summary with Trefor in mind. 

Rhys had taken over Ianto’s desk. Trefor was sitting on the desk next to his father building a Lego castle. “Jack has me tracking materials and shipments. If we compare Heartfield’s known locations to possibility facilities, we could have something.”

It was a good idea. Aman’s concern was if they found a connection. A European country connected to a biological weapon would be a political nightmare. Then he thought about Poland. If he was a Polish agent, they wouldn’t have issued a warrant. It was unlikely a government agent or a member of organized crime committed multiple petty offenses. Warsaw might want him for unspecified reasons. Or it was meant to keep him from returning to Poland.

“Do you have anything for Poland or Warsaw? The police department issued a warrant for petty crimes eight years ago.”

“I have nothing that old.”

Jack would have to request the information through Europol unless he had contacts in Poland. “Do we have anything currently connected to Poland?”

“No.” 

“Send me the possible locations you have.” From what he’d seen of the Gordon-Glen situation, the corporation was careful. An eight-year-old mistake by an employee that was untraceable under most circumstances could be a lucky break. Alternative, Heartfield might not have worked for Gordon-Glen then or he was a government agent and it was a completely unrelated situation. But it was worth checking out.

 

** Dreamscape **

Jack Harkness needed information. The possibility of a hive mind hadn’t been considered until Lindon approached Ianto. The child that aggravated the situation said something that suggested John or Anwen was involved. Werner Heartfield’s brutal death after stalking Teleri also suggested their involvement. When a man attacked the general in front of John, he’d been hit with a telekinetic force comparable to a car accident. John retaliating sounded better than another psychic with that capability.

With that in mind, he removed the extra set of dream talismans from protected storage and headed for the infirmary. They couldn’t wake John. Dream-sharing was the only option they had. Gwen argued, reminding him that John could reject him. While possible, Jack doubted it. 

He chose a location John had previously mentioned. The joint memory should make it easier. When Jack connected Gwen, he regained access to the target memory. Gwen helped arrange it while Dmitri was questioning Lindon. Rather than hours, the goal was brief. Jack needed information not a therapy session stuck in John’s head.

When Jack opened his eyes, he knew he was in London at the old Institute site rather than the bar he chose. Either it was an unknown issue with the talismans or it had something to do with the nanogene coma. The stables and different buildings said it was future Torchwood. John’s coma sent him home or it had something to do with Anwen.

John appeared in the stable doorway and strode toward him. Unlike the dream-sharing, he could sense John. “Welcome to Torchwood London.”

Jack explained the dream talismans. “I tried for that bar you were talking about last month.”

“This isn’t a dream. It’s a hive mind connection.”

“We’re in Anwen’s head?”

“Yeah.” John nodded. “From talking to Katrine, the strongest mind controls the location. It varies by who’s connected. They have to be unconscious or asleep. When Anwen arrived, she took over. The CN bond gives her access to my memories.”

“She wanted horses.” 

“Yeah.”

Anwen being in control of the hive mind could explain Heartfield and the kid in the grocery store. “How does this affect those who are awake?”

John hesitated. “I think the hive queen can control some of the kids when they’re awake.”

Great. An eleven-year-old with control tendencies had access to hive drones. “I need you to walk me through this.” Jack mentioned Heartfield’s death.

“From observation more than talking to Katrine, I’d say surviving the process requires a flexible mind. Most of the kids are younger and daydreamers. They believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny. Most are female. Current socialization for boys is stricter.”

“I need names.”

“Dera, the little girl Ianto has been looking for that disappeared from care, is here now. From what she’s said, she has the flu and sleeps a lot.”

“The cult?” Jack asked. The alien collecting at-risk girls started her make-shift orphanage because girls were disappearing.

“Yeah.” John motioned toward the stables and started walking. “It sounds like the cult’s intentionally creating a hive, and misunderstand how it works.”

Jack started walking. “Any idea how to get you out of here?”

“No. The fused nanogenes are keeping me and Anwen alive.”

“Yeah.”

John took a moment. “I mentioned flexible minds. Anwen stopped being a child the night she killed the first ship full of aliens. Neither of us could survive this without the nanogenes.”

“We need to know how it works. Finding Dera in the real world could help.”

“It’s a former nursing home from what she’s described.”

“Similar to Manchester,” Jack said. “The general found an aquarium, possibly more than one, in the basement.”

“From what I remember of Gordon-Glen, and what Katrine said, they were trying to create connected soldiers. A massive airborne release might have been an attempt to find more adults who can survive the process. Except that any adults capable of surviving will be like Katrine. Good soldiers don’t have flexible minds.”

Anwen was sitting in the paddock surrounded by eight younger kids. Jack couldn’t help but think of how she cared for Trefor and Kylia. She was a carer like her mother. Scared, broken kids needed someone they could rely on. John viewed young Anwen based on what he knew of two older versions. Jack couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to being hive queen than the strongest mind. 

“Uncle Jack.” She looked tired. “Welcome to Torchwood London.”

“I have questions.”

 

Anwen Williams felt her uncle’s disapproval as she followed him across the paddock. She could easily imagine the speech he was about to give her. The situation was a lot more complicated than it appeared. She preferred to be at the hub with Teleri and Wynne.

“Whatever you think I’m doing,” Anwen said sadly, “I’m not.”

“Werner Heartfield is dead.”

Anwen nodded. “Yeah. He needed to be.” She paused. “I haven’t told John everything, and Katrine doesn’t know.”

“Tell me.”

“This hive mind is an abused, terrified alien’s attempt to stay sane. Most of the kids here are in bad situations. It’s the alien’s way of trying to help them and herself.” 

Jack looked confused. She couldn’t blame him. 

“The alien was pulled through the Rift. She doesn’t know how. The people who did it seemed to know about her biology, but misunderstood how it works. They’ve had her a long time.”

“Can she tell us where she is?”

“Not directly.”

Jack took a moment. “Can she control anyone who’s been affected and awake.”

Anwen held out her hand tilted it back and forth. “The person has to be sane. She would have stopped Katrine if she could.”

“We need to know where the cult is keeping the kids.”

Anwen focused on the alien and tried to explain. Communicating with pictures worked better than words. The alien seemed to understand their language, but not everything made sense. Rather than try to explain they protected the world, she said how she was protected.

“She has heard of Torchwood. I told her you were different. She said she’ll contact Torchwood as soon as she can.”

Jack nodded. “Does she know how the retrovirus works?”

“No. She’s not like the aliens in Star Trek or Star Wars. She’s nothing like us.” Anwen tried to think of the best way to explain. “She has a mirror in her aquarium and showed me what she looked like. She’s a giant squid-like being.”

“What’s it suppose to do?”

Anwen hadn’t thought to ask that. The answer was thankfully simple. “It would allow her to keep track of her kids. The researchers are doing something to cause her to excrete it.”


	7. Chapter 7

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

** Sunday, January 3, 2021 **

Liam Doughtery peeked into Trefor’s office. Nessa was sitting on his desk laughing about something. He didn’t want to intrude, but the information he received suggested they had a local problem. The details were confusing. It could be a safety threat to Malcolm among other things.

“Sorry.”

Nessa slid off the desk and headed for the door. “We’re planning on going out tonight. Want to come?”

“I don’t want to be in the way.” Liam still hadn’t wrapped his mind around Nessa encouraging him to have sex with Trefor. They had an actual relationship. 

“You wouldn’t be.” She kissed him on the cheek. “We’re picking up women tonight.”

Liam stared at her. “I’ll think about it.”

Nessa laughed as she left.

“What did you find?” Trefor held out his hand. 

“I’m still getting responses to the drug questions from New Years Day. The Garda sent the blood test results. It’s bad Ecstasy.” Liam leaned on Trefor’s desk next to him. “I think the fake alien reports and the bad drugs were a distraction.”

Trefor set a hand on Liam’s knee. “Why?”

“I received a few screen shots from a teenager named Kevan Rossiter’s social media. I checked with Jeannette. That’s the guy behind Malcolm getting locked in a janitor’s closet. Rossiter was bragging about making Torchwood look stupid. He’s a drug dealer who promotes ‘buying’ girlfriends. Or basically rich nerds offering the girls on scholarship, or from other schools, money in exchange for dates and sex.”

“Distraction from what?”

“I don’t know. There are social media reports of an odd group of trucks moving through Dublin about 4 AM. We were focused on fake aliens and possible CN. I have a couple locations that might have security cameras. If we can get a description or a license plate, we’d know.”

“What direction were they headed?”

“South. Limerick or Cork.” Liam held up his hands. “They have the largest populations and ports.”

Trefor nodded. “Where does the Rossiter family get its money.”

“Pharmaceuticals.” 

“Contact Luc and have Kailen look into the trucks. I’ll check into the Rossiter family.”

 

** Roald Dahl Plass; Cardiff, Wales **

Fresh air sounded good. Even if it was January in Wales. Aman Oliveira used the lift and stepped into the empty plaza. The snow had already been cleared. The pavement was slick in a few places. But it gave him a chance to stretch his legs and unwind. 

Sleeping alone had been more difficult than he expected. Except for a few nights while they were arguing, he and Kailen had been together since they arrived in Wales last year. Aman was sure Kailen would appreciate hearing that. They’d been texting nonsense all morning. It helped some. He needed to go home.

Aman’s mobile rang. “Morning. I was just thinking about you.”

“When are coming home?” Kailen sounded tired.

“Soon as I can. You didn’t sleep?”

“You weren’t here.”

Aman knew the feeling. “We can eat at that African restaurant when I get back.”

Kailen laughed. “I checked the menu online. I don’t think the owner knows much about Africa.”

Aman smiled. They’d previously told people they were from South Africa and been asked what country. “Are the food reviews good?”

“I don’t think the customers know anything about Africa either.” 

“We could go to that Chinese place Luc likes.” Aman figured that would turn into a double-date. Not that he minded. Luc was simply a new addition. Before Wales, it was the three of them going everywhere. 

“Eryn wants to go to the mall. She’s talking about decorating.”

“We could do that.” Aman saw movement out of the corner of his eye. A child was walking quickly in his direction. He could think of no reason a kid would be in the area in January nevertheless alone. “I need to get back to the office. I stepped out for some air.”

“Be careful. I love you.”

“I love you.” Aman ended the call.

The child reached him trying to look calm. The nine-year-old and not dressed warm enough. “Do you know where the tourist office is?”

He gave her directions. She nodded and hurried off.

Aman took a glove off to dial. 

“Harkness.”

Aman explained. He then saw two men heading across the plaza toward him. They were looking around. “She’s not alone. Pull CCTV of the Plass.” 

He kept the line open and made a show of slipping his hand back in his glove. They didn’t look like typical thugs. Both were thin and badly dressed. One wore shoes instead of boots. It didn’t take much to guess how a child outran them. 

“Did you see a girl come through here? My cousin took off.”

Right, your cousin took off in potentially life-threatening weather. The girl was smarter than both of them. “She asked for the police station.” Which was partly true.

The man eyed him in disbelief. “Where are you from?”

“South Africa. I’m visiting family for New Years.”

“Which way did she go?” The man asked.

“Toward the pier.”

 

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Gwen Cooper entered the tourist office through the curtain concealing the hallway leading to the hub. She’d jogged hoping to get there before the kid. The current theory involved the hive mind. With both Anwen and John connected, the girl could have known about the office. Dr. Floyd had commented it was no longer a secret. Bobby Zhao had shown he knew also. Other explanations were possible.

Dmitri followed her and waited in the hall. He would get the kid to safety as soon as possible. Jack left the hub through the lift, intending to recruit Aman on the way. 

The girl entered nervously and looked around. “I’m looking for Torchwood.”

“I’m Gwen Cooper. Do you know who’s following you?”

The girl shook her head. “They tried to grab me.”

“They’re armed.” Jack’s voice came over the ear com.

“I know you’re scared. Behind the curtain is a hallway.”

Dmitri parted the curtain. “Come on.”

The girl hesitated briefly before deciding they were less worrisome than the men following her. She disappeared with Dmitri into the hallway. 

Gwen drew her gun, chambered a round and waited. The men had a lead on Jack and were expected to reach the door before Jack reached them. The goal was to take them alive. Depending on their motivation, that might not be possible. Before long a male face peered in the window. Gwen kept the gun out of sight behind the counter and looked busy. The door opened and the man stepped inside. 

“Can I help you find something?”

“My cousin took off. Did she come in here?”

“A girl came in and asked for the public toilet.”

The man looked suspicious. “What is this place?”

“A tourist office.”

“In the winter time?”

“Volunteer work looks good on my resume.” Gwen smiled. “You and your cousin are the first people I’ve seen here in weeks.”

“We have the other one,” Jack declared over the ear com.

Gwen raised her gun over the counter. “Hands on your head.”

“It’s a police station,” he said quietly, staring at her.

 

Ianto Jones felt weak, and reminded himself the nanogenes healed the bullet wound faster than the injures from the car accident. With John unconscious, and multiple guests, they were shorthanded. Jack wouldn’t expect much, but Ianto needed to do what he could. Ken sat with Mrs. Purcell, Wynne and Teleri. Rhys had Trefor. Which left the girl who came for help. Dmitri brought her to the conference room. 

She was half frozen and terrified, but hadn’t been exposed to the dreamfish retrovirus and had no Rift energy.

Ianto felt stupid offering her hot chocolate, but didn’t know what else to do. “I’m Ianto.” He sat across from her. 

She set her coat and worn mittens on the chair next to her. She eyed the mug briefly but didn’t touch it.

“What’s your name?”

“Sarah Isaacs.”

“Can you tell me why the men were chasing you?” 

She stared at the table. “I got away from them.”

“Do you who they are?”

“No.” It wasn’t very convincing.

“Do you know why they tried to grab you?” 

“No.”

Ianto gave her a moment. “Sarah, it would help if we knew what was going on.”

She hesitated. “I don’t want to go back.”

“Where?”

“It’s an old medical place.” She gripped her hands in front of her. “They told my mum they could make me smarter.”

“A nursing home?” That could be where the cult was holding Dera.

“Yeah.”

“We’re not going to send you back.” Ianto assured. “Do where it is?” 

“I don’t know the street names.”

“Do you remember buildings? Anything that could help me find it?”

She nodded. “There are a bunch of kids there.” Tears welled in her eyes. “Can you get them out?”


	8. Chapter 8

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Jack Harkness sat on the edge of his office desk and stared at the floor as he thought. They had a probable location for the cult and an unknown number of victims needing medical attention and possible permanent placement. Transportation to the Nigeria or the Refuge was a major problem depending on how many people were involved. Complicating it was the likelihood that the facility had a way to produce the dreamfish contaminate or another way to expose people. They didn’t know enough about it to estimate the dangers. The best approach he had was to contain the problem and figure out how to get the victims afterward. 

The door slid open and Gwen entered. After everything they had seen and done there were still things he didn’t want to tell her. Quarantining a building full of abused children with their abusers was on the top of the list. In the beginning, she would have been horrified and argued against it. After Miracle Day, the camps, and the choices she’d been forced to make, her argument wouldn’t be as emotional. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Luc is preparing drones.”

Gwen sat on the desk next to him. “How are we doing this?”

“We have to quarantine the entire facility.” Jack eyed his hands.

“How does that get the kids out?”

“It doesn’t.”

“Jack, we can’t leave them in there.”

At least she argued, he thought. “The entire facility, from what we know, is a bioweapon. We don’t know how they’re exposing people, or even a solid idea why.” He paused. “We can’t risk it.”

“You’re not blowing them up.”

“No.” He didn’t want to think about that.

“We have hazmat gear. The general can send in bots that throw stun pellets. Knock everyone out and go in with hazmat.”

“That could work. But we’d have a large number of people with no place to take them.”

“What about the alien? She fortified a warehouse and set up an orphanage. Or Four could mass produce bots to build a facility.”

“The former Moss-Probert research facility.” Moving them didn’t resolve the problem. It would allow them to destroy the original building the same as Noble Industries. The city of Cardiff would love that. “We don’t have the people.”

“Without the biohazard, we could get the people. Dr. Floyd has contacts from her Doctors Without Borders days. Some of the Atmore might volunteer. The Refuge would send people.”

“Luc could design the security.” Jack couldn’t picture it. “Who would run it?”

“Rhys could manage the facility. After Atmore, he has experience. Dmitri would probably demand to handle medical. He has three patients to transfer. Katrine would have to stay in lock-down. Anwen and John would stay.”

“Get Rhys up here. We need to plan this.”

“Can we get the MP facility?”

“Yeah.” Jack wished Bree was there. She was better with bureaucrats.

 

Ianto Jones had the nursery for the night. From what he overheard, Jack, Luc and the general had quarantined the facility and were working on plans to evacuate the children. Aman wasn’t needed for what was expected to be all night and went home. Mrs. Purcell and the girls were in the former alchemy lab. Ken had crashed in the infirmary with John and Anwen. Jack, Gwen, Rhys and Dmitri were working with Dublin and Nova Scotia.

“Nurseries are for babies,” Trefor complained.

Ianto smiled. “Michael needs to sleep in the crib.”

“I’m not a baby.”

Ianto carried one of Anwen’s stuffed horses over to Trefor. “Get some sleep.”

The door opened and Jack stepped in. Ianto hadn’t expected to see him for hours. Not with everything going on. Ianto tucked Trefor in. Then he walked over to Jack. 

He reached for Ianto and pulled him in for a kiss. “I needed a break,” Jack said quietly.

“What happened?”

“The cult has aerosol dispersal units.” Jack wrapped his arms around Ianto.

Ianto pressed his head to Jack’s shoulders. “Can you get the kids out?” 

“We’re working on it.”

“Are we sure we know what’s going on? Two buildings in Cardiff with bioweapons. Why would Gordon-Glen risk it?”

Jack set his forehead to the top of Ianto’s head. “They didn’t. Gordon-Glen is organized. The cult isn’t. Aman suggested Gordon-Glen lost control. If Dr. Palfreyman is any indication, some of their people could have smuggled the units out and set up alternative research.”

“What’s bringing the affected here?”

“We don’t have enough information. It could be the Rift and the creature wanting to go home.”

Ianto held on for a few minutes. “I thought about a way to get more people.”

“How?”

“We clear out the shelters. The corporations have been targeting high-risk people. Anyone who can work, we find them a job. Anyone who can’t work needs to be in a safe place where these corporations can’t get them.”

“Where would we get the funding?”

“London. The politicians want the Institute back. Mrs. Purcell’s the perfect example of normal people getting caught in bad situations they didn’t cause.”

“Maybe Bree would feel up to helping.”

 

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

General Trefor Williams needed a coffee pot in his office. He filled his thermos and wondered briefly if he should just drink it from the pot. Stress had that effect. He remembered Gordon-Glen for their biomechs. With Anwen comatose, he needed to access Global from Three and research it at some point. Torchwood didn’t catch everything. 

Nessa wandered into the lounge. “You’re still working.”

“Yeah. Sorry about tonight.”

She hugged him from the side. “Another night. Why did you send Liam to bed if you’re working?”

“The situation’s ugly.”

“What happened?” She rested her head on his arm.

“I want you to be able to sleep tonight.”

“Trefor, you can’t keep it inside.” She gave him a moment. “And you can’t lie to me.”

“Remember Noble Industries? The bioweapon that can be airborne? Jack has a building full of kids. Most have been intentionally exposed. There are bioweapons in the facility.”

“Noble? The building was demolished.”

“Yeah. Jack is trying to figure out how to get the kids out. They’re a biohazard. There is no treatment.”

“Oh god.” Nessa closed her eyes and hugged him tighter.

“Gordon-Glen is guilty of everything from alien slavery to testing biological weapons on children. When we find this corporation, I’m going to call Miri. We will make sure they never do it again.” Tears welled in his eyes. What he couldn’t bring himself to tell her was what he thought the likely outcome would be. They had to destroy the bioweapons. There was nothing they could do for the kids. He doubted even Jack could kill kids. He’d have to talk Keara into handing over the spaceship. An air strike would solve the problem. 


	9. Chapter 9

** Whitchurch Hospital; Cardiff, Wales **

** Monday, January 4, 2021 **

The A&E was still chaotic after the long New Years weekend. When Connie Ryan called, she sounded exhausted. She insisted Torchwood was needed at the hospital. A bizarre attack at the library left four people in the hospital: the security guard, an off-duty constables, the constable’s son and Dr. Floyd. The doctor asked Connie to call. 

Gwen Cooper would have anyway as they had a patient claiming to work for Torchwood. The man was found disoriented in Pontcanna. Constables originally assumed he was drunk. A Breathalyzer test showed no alcohol. He had no identification. One of the A&E nurses insisted he looked familiar, but she couldn’t place him.

With the ongoing nightmare, Gwen volunteered. Between the insane task of freeing the kids, and the fact that she’d had more sleep than Jack, it made sense. It helped that she’d stayed in contact with Connie since Beddoe’s death in her and Andy’s backyard. 

“Gwen.” Connie held an employee access door open. “The Torchwood case count is increasing.”

That didn’t sound good. Gwen passed through the doorway and Connie let the door close. “What happened?”

Connie held out her hands. “I don’t know. All four of the men involved in the library attack are dead and it’s bad. The first constable on the scene has been with Cardiff PD for twenty years. He not only threw up, he had to be transported here for a psyche eval.”

“How did they die?”

“We don’t know. The acting medical examiner said one of the bodies smelled like sulfur and he refused to touch them without a priest present. Do you know how hard it is to find a priest willing to attend an autopsy?”

Gwen set a hand over her face. “Jack will need to visit the morgue.”

“We have a small child, five or six years old, who was found hiding at the bus station this morning. He asked for Torchwood. He said an alien squid helped him escape his abusive mum.”

“Is the kid in isolation?”

Connie hesitated. “Why?”

“The alien squid story is potentially connected to what killed the people at The Light and The Way.” Gwen quickly found her mobile.

“I am happy I don’t have your job.” Connie shook her head. “I thought raiding a brothel and chasing an elderly customer trying to escape nude was bad.”

As it rang, Gwen wondered what she would say.

“Harkness.”

Gwen explained the best she could. While she doubted it, they had seen a demon before thanks to Bilis Manger. The bodies were probably the result of an alien or psychic of some type. The man claiming to be a Torchwood agent could actually be one. Dmitri and Ianto were proof of that. Dealing with social services for the six-year-old was probably the most complicated.

“Dmitri is heading to the morgue. I will meet you at the hospital.”

“Thanks.” The call ended.

Connie shook her head. “Andy said you could handle anything.”

“How is he?”

“Cranky. He wants to go back to work. The brass won’t clear him to return to Cardiff.” Connie motioned to start walking. “DCI Harpham in London is concerned the person that killed Beddoe is a co-worker.”

“Lacene Harpham is scary, but she’s good.”

“I know. Have you seen her clearance rate?”

Gwen suspected Harpham’s connection to the Sisters and Morpheus’ brother helped. “Your rate is solid.”

Connie walked in silence until she stopped by a room partitioned by a curtain in the back. “Not anymore. With Beddoe’s death and Andy in protective custody, no wants to work with me. They’re afraid.”

“Harpham will find the stalker.” 

Connie was obviously not convinced. “Dr. Floyd is in there. I need to check on the kid.”

Gwen parted the curtain and stepped into the small room. Dr. Floyd looked old and small on the gurney. Gwen realized she hadn’t asked for details on the attack. From the look of the doctor’s bruised face, she’d been beaten. A sling covered one of her arms. 

“What happened?”

“Insanity.” Dr. Floyd’s voice was weak and soft. “Do you know who Charon the Ferryman is?”

“Zhao?” Gwen carefully sat on the edge of the bed.

“Yes. Leave the investigation to him.”

Gwen wondered if that was what happened to the four attackers. “How do you know him?”

“I met Charon while working with Doctors Without Borders. I didn’t understand him until I learned about the Refuge.”

“Is there any reason you can think of for the attack?”

“Not specifically. They intended to kill me.” Dr. Floyd shook her head slightly. The movement seemed to cause her pain. “The security guard and constable got in the way.”

“Could this have something to do with Zhao?”

“I doubt it. Angering Charon is suicidal. The last time I saw him was when he came for the infants from the warehouse. The clones.” She paused. “He’s called since than.”

“Do you know how to contact him?”

“No. Do you know where the name Charon comes from?”

“The Greek Ferryman who transported people to the afterlife.”

The doctor hesitated. “He was nicknamed Charon because no one other than the Ferryman had sent more souls to the Underworld. When he finds out what happened…”

“I think he already did.”

 

With the new information, Jack Harkness asked Dmitri to head back to the hub. If the Refuge was involved, they needed to know what was going on first. Jack doubted the attackers know about Zhao. From the general’s comments, anyone who knew his reputation would not risk his wrath. Most likely, the attackers wanted Dr. Floyd off-duty. Whether anyone believed they were involved was probably irrelevant. She was known to call Torchwood to challenge anything questionable, including government actions.

A cute nurse named Katie smiled and led him through the chaos into the back. That was a different type of chaos. They had more patients than staff. Everyone looked exhausted. He knew the feeling. 

“We thought he was a nutter.” Katie looked guilty. “He was really out of it.”

“Did he give his name?”

“I don’t know. Whatever he said made Lydia, our head nurse, uneasy. She asked DC Ryan to call Torchwood.”

“Anything I should know?”

“My shift ends in another hour.” Katie sounded like she was trying for a joke rather than a date. 

Jack smiled. “I’m spoken for.”

“Too bad.” She stopped in front of the one of the rooms that had a door. “I need a ride home.”

Jack waited until she walked away to open the door. After the experience with Dmitri, Ianto was waiting to hear from him. After Gray buried him, his memories were inconsistent. He could have worked with a person for years and not necessarily recognized him. 

“It’s about bloody time, Jack.”

He didn’t need to call. After finding Ianto at the hub, it shouldn’t have surprised him. Both he and Gwen had wondered why Other Keara didn’t bring back the entire team. Jack figured she had her reasons. As he parted the curtains, he thought about the timing. Anwen was in a coma. They had a bunch of kids they might not be able to save. They needed a doctor with knowledge and skills Dmitri didn’t have.

“Owen.”

“I’ve been here for two hours.” He sounded exactly the same. Although the Owen he remembered had been younger. He died more than ten years ago.

“Gwen’s making arrangements to have a child released into her custody. It’s been a long weekend.”

He slid off the gurney and reached for his coat. “Who’s Gwen?”

That could make life easier. But it meant Owen came from a very different time line. “We’ll discuss that back at the hub.”

Owen shook his head. “Is she at least hot?”

“She’s married.”

“How’s that going to work?”

Jack sent Gwen a message that he’d meet her back at the hub. Then he told Ianto he’d explain when he got back. 

They walked in silence to the van. There was no good way to explain the Kearas, time changes, or that Owen had essentially come back from the dead. Ianto was struggling with post traumatic stress. Dmitri felt worthless and was was spiraling into depression. Depending on how closely this Owen’s life mirrored the one he knew, it could be even worse.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Owen asked after they were in the van. 

Jack popped the keys in the ignition and sat back. “We have a serious threat involving a bioweapon and exposed children. Including Gwen’s daughter. An alien we know nothing about is being held against her will, used to produce the bioweapon and has created some type of hive mind with the kids. Can the rest wait?”

“Yeah.”

 

** Torchwood Three **

Ianto Jones waited on the main floor for Jack. He wore Michael in a sling and held Trefor’s hand. The lack of information made him nervous. He’d read reports and checked CCTV until he saw the van in the parking garage. Seeing Owen came with a kind of relief. The stress had his symptoms increasing.

Of all the memories, good and bad, he remembered the conflict over opening the Rift the clearest. He shot Owen in the shoulder trying to prevent him from doing it. Owen later shot Jack at close range in the forehead. Jack’s immortality had still been a secret than. They had all acted crazy that day. Even Tosh. What stayed with him through the walk to the main door and the wait was Owen’s derision. Which probably meant the PTSD was flaring again. 

The door slid open and Jack led into the hub. There was a time when having someone come back from the dead would have been strange. Not after everything. 

Owen stopped and stared. After a moment he nodded and looked at Jack. “What did you do?”

“We should talk in my office.”

Trefor grabbed his leg. The unexpected emotions were probably to much for him. Ianto set a hand on his head.

“Jack, Luc has an idea for dealing with the bioweapons similar to what was used on Noble Industries. Rhys wants to know if Luc has any type of robots capable of removing the kids from the building to avoid using hazmat suits.”

“Dammit.” Jack looked at Owen. “Ianto will show you the infirmary. Please don’t yell at him.” He than hesitated. “Do you know who John Hart is?”

“No.”

“I will join you as soon as I can.” Jack hurried for the conference room.

Owen looked uneasy. “Jack said we have patients?”

“Yep. Two in the infirmary. Three in quarantine. One sedated in the secured cell. Gwen is bringing another from the hospital.”

Owen took a moment to calm down. “What is your job here?”

“Office management and daycare.” One more reminder that it was often the same job.

Owen shook his head briefly and headed for the infirmary.

Ianto carried Trefor to keep up. 


	10. Chapter 10

** Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

Luc Sarkisian reviewed the plan. Using modified maintenance bots and security robots he designed for Nigeria, it was possible. Testing that possibility on a building with bioweapons and innocent children was not his first choice. From initial scans after surrounding it with interconnected ballistic shields was that most of the children had already been exposed. Sectioning them off the others with additional shields would protect them as much as possible. He didn’t care what happened to the adults.

Aman entered the lab. “Jack’s looking for an update.” 

Luc nodded. “The plan is as solid as it’s going to get.”

“You’re the reason those kids have a chance at all. Without those robots, Jack would have to risk lives on a plan that had minimal chance of success. Or it would be Noble Industries.”

Luc leaned on his main computer desk and closed his eyes. “There is a problem with this situation. This cult has nothing to do with Gordon-Glen. With what we know of the research, there is zero military application or any other value in the alien secretion research. The information on what the alien is doing to the kids is based on interpretation by a witness under the alien’s control.”

“What’s the alternative?” Aman asked.

“We are dedicating time and effort to take out bioweapons, rescue kids and chase Heartfield through Europe for the last fifteen years. We have no choice.” Luc couldn’t let go of the obvious problem with the whole situation. “With CN, we could see the value of the torture drug. The weak version from the cloned reptiles affected Rift abilities. There is no benefit with the alien secretions.”

“After we rescue the kids, we will take another look at the situation.”

 

** (former nursing home); Cardiff, Wales **

General Trefor Williams established his temporary command station. He would monitor the entire process, control the bots and robots, and if necessary take remote control of the drones from Kailen. The initial ballistic shields were in place. Transport vehicles were on standby. The city fire department provided a hazmat unit and fire engines. Ambulances waited for unexposed children. UNIT arrived to do a threat assessment and take custody of any adults that weren’t exposed. After a discussion with Four, he networked a com connection with Three, Four and Nova Scotia. 

He had control, he told himself. His original assessment was off, but that happened. It wasn’t the first time he’d been wrong. “Jack, I’m ready.”

“We’re good,” Kailen said over the ear com. “We have back-up drones for containment, if necessary.”

The first time he’d seen combat, the general reminded himself, he’d been younger than Kailen. “The bots are moving into position.” The general watched his screen. “Establishing bio-shield.” There were problems with the readings. “Kailen, I’m sending readings, have Luc review. Possible explosives with the dispersal units. Will the containment shield hold?”

Luc joined the conversation. “Are the units on the lowest level of the building?”

“Yeah.”

“The shield will hold short of a high yield explosion. The energy will destroy the floor.”

That wasn’t a problem. “Containment in place.” With it in place, he focused on protecting the section with children that haven’t been exposed. It wasn’t all of them, but it was best they could do. “Bio-shield in place.”

Transporting in the bots with stun pellets was the most unpredictable part of the process. If anyone reacted badly to the pellets modified for humans, there wasn’t much that could be done. “Deploying stun bots.” The scan results were better than he expected. Few escaped the first release. The bots weren’t attacked. “Deploying secondary.” The mini bots were programmed to target movement, and would pursue anyone moving. “Targets immobilized.”

“There is an unknown I-don’t-fucking-know violating the no-fly-zone,” Kailen said. 

“Do we have visual?” The general suspected it was Keara with the captured ship.

“No,” Luc said. 

“Robots moving into place.” The general reviewed the sensors around the location. If Keara arrived with her new ship, something was happening.

Shite . “Transferring remote control to Nova Scotia. Military assault approaching.”

“Jack, inform UNIT that if these are government troops, they need to withdraw now.” From the troops’ equipment, their goal was removing something from the location.

The general felt his first target moments later. The bullet burst in the air inches from him. The man who fired it exploded. The team was determined. The bullets bursting around him were like fireworks. He wasn’t sure if they were trying to shoot him or his command station. The shots suddenly ended. Before he could guess why, an energy blast presumably from the spaceship leveled an area of woods.

“Jack,” the general said, having a difficult time believing what he was seeing. “How did someone sneak a military unit with robotics into the area?”

“I don’t know. Is it over?”

“Yeah.” The smoldering remains of trees, bodies and melted metal was definitive.

Jack took a moment. “Who’s flying the ship?”

“Keara. The one I knew.” The general turned back to the command station.

“Where did she get it?”

The general remembered he’d gave her the schematics for Robert’s translation device and hadn’t told Jack. “The aliens who went after Ken.”

“You failed to mention it.”

“Yeah. It’s never good to anger a woman with an alien spaceship.” 

 

** (Former Moss-Probert Research facility) **

The conversation with UNIT had been unpleasant, Jack Harkness thought. The on-site team leader demanded information about the unknown ship. It distorted local radar and satellite coverage but not the drones. She was not amused that he had no information and couldn’t demand the pilot hand over the keys. The situation was confusing, but he had to believe she wouldn’t have been there if she knew an attack was coming.

The rest went as planned. Rhys coordinated transportation. The exposed children and adults had been sedated and were waiting for the building repairs to be finished. The few unexposed adults went with UNIT. The unexposed children went to the hospital. Gwen contacted Verity Holdsworth about the situation.

Watching the maintenance bots finish repairing the decrepit building reminded him of the first time he’d seen it. He’d just found out Ianto and the hub were back. They had no idea what was happening. Miriam Morgan’s one woman war against Moss-Probert made sense. No part of the current Gordon-Glen situation did.

Although cold, it was a beautiful day and location. The expansive lawn and towering trees had potential. He wondered absently if Ianto would enjoy coordinating the landscaping come spring. While Jack wasn’t sure the situation would last that long, Ianto was right about clearing out the shelters. They would need a place to house people.

“Captain Harkness.” Bobby Zhao sounded unhappy as he approached. “Thank you for checking on Guinevere.”

It took a moment for Jack to realize he meant Dr. Floyd. “She asked for us.”

“I have seen to her safety.”

Jack wondered how the two met. “Who attacked her?”

“That is puzzling. The men said they were paid to kill an elderly heiress.”

“Why sulfur?”

Zhao smiled faintly. “Preserving Guinevere’s employment.”

“Dr. Jenkins requested a priest.” Jack smiled at the absurdity.

“He’s a superstitious fool.”

Jack gave it a moment. “Someone didn’t want Dr. Floyd in the ME’s office for awhile.”

“That would be my guess as well. The public attack is wrong. A staged mugging would have had the same effect.”

One more oddity in a situation filled with them. “I don’t know.”

Zhao handed Jack a business card. “I will help. When I find who arranged Guinevere to be harmed, you will stay out of the way.”

 

** (former nursing home); Cardiff, Wales **

General Trefor Williams took the opportunity to walk around the area after the chaos died down. The firefighters were still checking the area. A few he recognized from Noble Industries. Cardiff couldn’t have that many bio-hazard specialists. Although after everything the Rift subjected Cardiff to in the history of Torchwood, a decent unit wouldn’t be unreasonable.

“What are you looking for?” One of the men he recognized asked.

“An explanation. There was or is something here worth risking a daylight assault in clear view of Torchwood and UNIT.” The general knew he had to consider it was simply bad timing. But that was hard to believe. “They had military equipment.”

“What was this place?” 

“A bunch of crazies, why?”

The firefighter shook his head and led back toward the dumpster. The hazmat unit was still sorting the trash. “We get called to check improperly disposed of medical waste. Not often, but we have to know what to look for. They threw out more than one sharps box in the last week.”

“Anything traceable?”

“Yeah. A lot of this requires a medical license to purchase.”

That didn’t explain anything by itself, but could help find answers. “Can I get a copy of your photos?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s appreciated.” The general took a moment to text Jack. The firefighters needed to be mentioned in any press releases. 


	11. Chapter 11

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Owen Harper paged through the quarantine notes and wondered. The infirmary looked similar but was not the same. Supplies were organized differently. The other doctor had not been brought in while he was away for a few days. The man had stacks of handwritten journals. From the dates, he’d been there months.

“How did I get here?”

Ianto looked up from a game of checkers. “A future Torchwood agent has manipulated time.” He hesitated. “The short version is she’s transferring people from different times and places to solve problems that haven’t happened yet.”

“What happened to the Owen in this time?”

“The Cardiff nuclear plant. He saved a lot of lives.”

Owen nodded. “The Ianto I knew  met the 456…” Discussing death in front of a small child was fucked up.

“Yeah,” Ianto said. 

“Is Tosh here?” Owen couldn’t help but asked. He hadn’t realized what she meant to him until it was to late. 

“No.”

With what he’d seen so far, resolving the situation without her would be difficult. “What progress has Dr. Petrescu made?”

“None. Dmitri went to Oxford medical in the 1930s.”

The handwritten journals with the formal writing. “We have a scientist?”

“Luc in Nova Scotia. He’s an eighteen-year-old physics prodigy with no advanced education.”

“Petrescu mentioned Malcolm in his journals.” Owen rubbed his forehead.

“He’s a high school senior with an interest in medicine. He lives at Torchwood Four in Dublin.”

“How are any of you still alive?”

The door opened and a man in his thirties entered hesitantly. “Dr. Harper, I’m Dr. Petrescu.” He walked over and extended his hand.

Owen shook it. “I need you to walk me through the situation.”

Dmitri nodded and grabbed a chair from across the room. “The bioweapon is potentially created from the secretions of a sentient, aquatic alien…”

 

With the immediate crisis over, Jack Harkness met with Gwen in his office and insisted she sit down. She was with him when he reconnected with Ianto. Owen was more complicated. One of many reasons Other Keara waited to return him, Jack suspected. 

“Mrs. Purcell is insisting on staying.” Gwen sighed. “Social services is unhappy. The social worker I met at the hospital is demanding we hand over all of the children. I opted not to point out that some of the children from the facility we just cleared disappeared from care.”

“What’s the reasoning?”

“Jurisdiction and lack of evidence.”

That wasn’t rational. “She doesn’t watch the news?”

“I don’t know what to think,” Gwen said. “She tried Sawyer’s initial gas explosion explanation for Maddox’s symbiont defending him at the cafe. With Dr. Floyd  missing , she said there is no support for the biohazard claims at The Light and The Way. The rest of her argument was worse.”

“She dismissed the city and emergency services reports?”

“Yeah. Someone in London contested the existence of the bioweapon.”

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Other Keara’s timing for returning Owen could have multiple purposes. “I'll make calls.”

“What did you want to tell me?”

“The person at the hospital claiming to be a Torchwood agent was Owen. Owen from another universe. He doesn’t know who you are.”

She stared at him, her mouth open as if she was trying to say something. “What did you tell him?”

“Not much. I mentioned the bioweapon to distract him.”

Gwen nodded. “Maybe Other Keara thought this out. Ianto adapted quickly. He simply wants to be with you. Dmitri was transported seventy years in the future and barely blinked. Owen is more complicated. He’ll ask questions. Maybe she was giving us time to adjust to having a team again.”

“I think it’s a combination. We need him now and we’re ready to accept the changes she’s making.” 

“Are we getting Tosh back?” Gwen shook her head. “At what point did this become sane?”

 

** Hive Mind **

Anwen Williams sat on one of the paddock fences. She estimated twenty-five kids were running around. A few mentioned what sounded like maintenance bots and stun pellets when they arrived. It sounded extreme. Rescuing exposed kids was a problem. Despite the trauma, they laughed and played. 

“What’s wrong?” Anwen asked as John walked over.

“Part of this recreation is changing.”

Anwen wondered how that was possible. It was based on John’s memory. “Which part?”

“Torchwood London.” 

“She could be trying to tell us something.” Anwen hopped off the fence. “Show me.”

John led across the lawn. 

“Are you all right?” 

He was quiet for a few minutes. “I think my Anwen would have liked this. There wasn’t a lot of happiness here.”

“You should like it.” Anwen smiled. “The kids see an adult who doesn’t yell at them or worse. The little girl with the reddish hair who stares at you, she has no concept of men who aren’t abusive.”

“I’m a bad role model.”

“They don’t know that.”

John took a moment. “I’ve been thinking about Michael.”

Anwen placed her hand in the crook of his elbow. “He has Ianto and Ken. He’ll be well-dressed and hate Disney.”

“Torchwood destroys everyone it touches.”

“What would Anwen from 2049 have told you?”

“I don’t know. She viewed protecting the world as a family obligation.”

“It was more than that. She chose to save the world. She could have left with you and never looked back. Any experience she could possibly want in the universe accessible through your vortex manipulator.” Anwen gave it a moment to set in. “It wasn’t that she didn’t love you. She did. If life had been different, you would have had a ridiculous wedding ceremony you both hated and spent your honeymoon hiding from the media. She couldn’t give you a home or a family or kids. Not in 2049. In 2021 you have Ken and Michael and an adorable eleven-year-old to drag you into alien hive minds.”

“A foreign diplomat called her adorable once.” John smiled.

“Did she let him live?”

John laughed.

 

** (Former Moss-Probert Research facility) **

Rhys Williams walked through the newly remodeled building. It definitely wasn’t Atmore. The bland walls and functional furnishings made him think of an asylum in a horror movie. Rooms filled with sedated children added to the horror. He’d managed Atmore without enough supplies, he could handle the former hospital.

“Mr. Williams.” A small woman said, walking up to him in the hall. He didn’t recognize her. She sounded British. “I’m Miriam Morgans from the Refuge.”

He recognized the name. The woman had once been an unwilling resident of the facility. Moss-Proberts experiments gave her a psychic ability. She’d used it to free the other victims. The bomb she detonated left the building in bad shaped. “Ma’am.”

“My security team is establishing. Once it’s secured, we will have additional people arriving to help.”

“Good. Please tell them that the residents are all potentially contagious and dangerous. No physical contact. Anyone acting strange needs to be checked for exposure.”

“Residents.” Miriam smiled. 

“Jack is still working out the details. We have four more children from Torchwood to be transferred. If we understand the situation, there are more kids we haven’t found yet.”

Miriam nodded. “We’ve received reports that someone in London is distributing inaccurate information to cause problems. Cardiff social services is expected to arrive claiming the bioweapon is fake. I have experience with social workers, I will deal with it.”

Rhys wasn’t sure he wanted to know what that meant. “Did the general mention the attack during the rescue?”

“Yeah. There will be no raid here. That ship was merciful compared to what we’ll do.”

 

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

General Trefor Williams stood at the head of the table they used for meals and provided an update with as few graphics details. He needed everyone to be security conscious leaving Four. He also needed volunteers. Asking the kids for help was something he’d prefer to avoid. They had a right to be kids and to chose a different life.

“We can review the trash photos,” Molly said. Her and Malcolm sat huddled at the other end of the table.

“How are they targeting the kids?” Jeannette said quietly. “Has anyone checked to see if any social worker has lost more kids, past or current, than any other?”

“We don’t know.” The general should have known Jeannette would connected the current situation with what she experienced with CN. 

Jeannette wiped as tears. “They’re picking their victims somehow. School, doctors, parents.”

Nessa set a hand on her sister’s shoulder and spoke quietly to her.

“We’ll figure it out.”

Liam held out his hand. “We have confirmation that the trucks exist and left a Rossiter business heading south around 4 AM on New Years Day. The person who got the screen shot from Kevan Rossiter’s social media took screen shots of his friend’s list. I’ve asked for more information on the fake aliens and the bad ecstasy. I have somewhat connected Rossiter to four of the alien reports. I have been asked to establish an anonymous website like Cardiff has. Three may start getting information I’ve requested.”

The general nodded. “Write up what we need for the website. Any idea what’s in the trucks?”

“Study drugs,” Malcolm said. “Kevan’s family businesses have patents on older drugs that make very little profit solid legally. They’re abused by people who want to stay awake and focus. Kids who take them are under a lot of pressure. There is more money in illegal sales.”

“Malcolm reported Kevan for drugs after the math club locked him in a closet,” Nessa added. 

The general vaguely remembered seeing a note about random drug tests on Malcolm’s school record. He’d done a couple discreet medical scans and concluded the information was wrong. It hadn’t occurred to him to check why the tests were being done.

“A rich guy at school with drugs,” Jeannette said looking at the table, “Isn’t looking for money.”

“Do we know where the drugs went?”

“Cork,” Liam said. “From there they can go by freighter.”

“Keep an eye on it. When we have something solid, I will report it.”

“I’ll help with Gordon-Glen research,” Nessa said, “While Liam tracks Rossiter.”


	12. Chapter 12

** Asda Cardiff Bay Superstore; Cardiff, Wales **

** Tuesday, January 5, 2021 **

Bioweapons one day and shopping the next, Jack Harkness thought as he loaded groceries into the car. After Ianto’s last grocery trip, Jack didn’t want Ken leaving alone. Until Lindon approached in the grocery store, no one thought twice about shopping. When Ianto returned a year-and-a-half ago, Jack made an effort not to risk Ianto every again. Their building had been attacked. The hub had been breached. The coffee shop had been rob. And shopping resulted in being shot in the leg. Jack hoped Ken wasn’t looking at the sharing the same type of experiences.

“I appreciate this. Everyone has been kind.”

They endangered his life and emotionally blackmailed him into being the primary caregiver first for a pregnant woman and then for her baby. Ken was more understanding than any of them could expect.

“Did you need anything else?”

“No.” Ken hesitated. “What’s wrong with John?”

“He’s in a coma. Now that Dr. Harper is reviewing the situation, we should know more soon.”

As they were moving around the car, Jack saw Robert walking toward them. He had his hands out in front of him. “I’ve been trying to call for days.”

Jack had hoped Robert wouldn’t notice. “John’s in the infirmary.”

Robert looked confused. “He was exposed?” 

“Indirectly.” Jack motioned for Ken to get in the car.

“What can I do to help?”

“Do you know of any alien technology in the area? Other than Oldaria?”

“No.”

A thought than occurred to Jack. “How did you know I was here?”

Robert said, “The new shielding in your wrist-strap is worthless against someone who’s repaired a different version of it.”

 

Robert Crosland wanted additional information this Jack was obviously not willing to share. The Jack his father knew would have taken on the universe itself to protect his loved ones. This one might, but John wasn’t a priority here. He’d already lost his father, he didn’t want to lose another version of him. Which sounded crazy. 

The only one who might help was Oldaria. He had no idea why the bored rich girl set up an orphanage for alien children. It could have been the latest outlet for her boredom. Approaching an inter-dimensional alien was not on Robert’s list of life goals, but he didn’t have other options. His ship database might have useful information, if he could access it, but collecting alien medical information never interested him. She was the only possibility he could think of.

Which left him wondering what he could offer her. Depending on why she remained on Earth, access to his ship when he could regain control might work. She might know how to reach it. Except she didn’t owe him anything and might just take it. He could only hope that her consideration for the random children would extend to her friend’s son.

 

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

Reviewing photographs of trash was not Malcolm Dove’s idea of a good morning. He and Molly numbered the digital photographs and made a list. Identifying the products wasn’t complicated. Puzzling out the possible uses was another problem. The only idea they had was going to keep them from sleeping.

The general sipped coffee and stared out a window in the above ground garden. Malcolm didn’t want to disrupt the peace. 

“Did you find something?”

“Yeah.” It made Malcolm wish for the days before Eddie Cattrel tried to kill him. “It’s…” H shook his head. “I want to be wrong.”

“Why?”

Malcolm handed over the flashdrive and notebook. “Different products can be used for different things. But what stood out is materials needed for plasma donation. Antibodies and other biological material from plasma can be used to produce medical treatments.”

“Yeah.”

“A person has to produce antibodies to successfully fight a disease. A survivor’s blood is used in researching treatments that can protect or cure other people.”

The general lowered his coffee mug.

“Children have the highest survival chance from what we know. They’re also less likely to have been exposed to diseases that affect their immune system.”

“What would antibodies against the alien retrovirus accomplish?”

Malcolm shook his head. “There is no military application in this bioweapon. Gordon-Glen went to a lot of effort to create something that makes adults crazy and does strange things to kids.” He closed his eyes. “If the company is collecting plasma, the value could be the result of exposing the children.”

 

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Listening to the general explain Malcolm’s research made Jack Harkness wonder. Having seen multiple wars, the horrors people could inflict on one another shouldn’t have shocked him. For god, country and greed, the unthinkable had been done. 

Standing outside the interrogation room, he steadied himself. Whatever justification the cult or fake cult had for abducting and experimenting on children, it wouldn’t be sane. The question was whether or not the group was actually connected to Gordon-Glen. The company appeared careful. Setting up in Cardiff near Torchwood wasn’t careful. They were arrogant or stupid. From what he’d seen of the two men that chased Sarah across the Plass to the tourist office, he was leaning toward stupid.

Owen approached in the hallway. Jack hadn’t had time to process Owen’s arrival. They needed a doctor. Owen was one of the best Jack had ever worked with. This version was calmer and quieter. Either age or circumstances mellowed him. The problem was Owen’s demons. Both the figurative one’s and whatever happened with the second Resurrection Glove. At some point Jack knew he would need an excuse to have this Owen in range of a Weevil to see the creature’s reaction.

“What did you need?”

Jack repeated what the general said about plasma donation and antibodies.

“I have to draw blood. Dr. Palfreyman and the adults from the cult are a place to start.”

“Have Dmitri make arrangements with Rhys.”

Owen took a moment. “I’m restricted to the hub?”

“Yeah. For right now.” Jack paused. “Ianto checked. Your identity has been established. Your medical license, admitting privileges, professional memberships, and bank accounts are solid. Cardiff Self Storage has two units in your name. One should be furnishings. The second is a car.” He wouldn’t like the flat, but the car should compensate.

“You knew where to look.”

“Yeah.” Keara did the same for Ianto when she returned him.

Owen took a moment to calm himself. The man Jack remembered would have lashed out in a tirade. The question was how close this Owen was to the edge. They’d been unprepared for the original Owen’s reaction to Diane. He spiraled out of control. Emotional instability resulted in him challenging authority and suicidal depression.

“I need more access to the computer and equipment manuals. Dmitri can’t explain half of the equipment.” Owen paused. “There is a lab listed for Luc Sarkisian. I attempted to access the system and it played Disney music and showed cartoons across all the screens.”

Jack laughed. He needed to. “Anwen designed that.”

“She has access to the computer?”

“It’s a long story.”

Owen kept his retort to himself. “How do I get access?”

“Ask Ianto.”

“The Ianto I remember made coffee and watered the plants.”

Jack smiled. “He still does.”

 

** Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

Eryn Sylla curled up on Luc’s lap and set her head on his shoulder. The stress was getting to all of them. For Luc it appeared to be the seemingly impossible task of tracking a company with uncertain motives. He’d opted to use a library she hadn’t seen him enter before and it added to the strain.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m checking my mother’s files. Xenobiology was her specialty. The dragons weren’t her only victims.”

That wasn’t something Eryn had considered. If Torchwood had information about the alien research, Luc’s grandfather Ronald Beaupre was probably involved with Gordon-Glen. Exploiting aliens and experimenting on humans was the dark side of Torchwood. The ends justify the means mindset had caused a lot of misery.

“I found something potentially related. Indirectly.”

Eryn hugged him. “What?”

“Torchwood has known about Rift abilities for decades. In the seventies and eighties, there was a Torchwood researcher with an ability similar to Payton Borthwick. The person could pull things from the Rift aided by alien technology.  The details are limited. Mom might not have been authorized for access.”

“That would explain the alien.”

“How but not why.” 


	13. Chapter 13

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Gwen Cooper spent the morning reviewing information Aman uncovered about Heartfield. One more puzzle piece that didn’t seem to fit. Both Europol and Interpol had suspicions and few details. Based on the multiple identities and the solid identification found after he died, she agreed with Aman’s assessment. The question was whether or not Gordon-Glen operated like organized crime, had criminal connections or had government connections. From their experience with Moss-Probert, GG could have all three. Until they found something solid, they had no way of knowing.

By lunch, the material was blurring together. The only possible lead was an odd warrant from Poland that might have been an attempt to keep Heartfield out of the country. She wanted to believe that no European country would condone human experimentation. WWII should have been a lesson. After what she discovered during Miracle Day, she couldn’t give any of the so-called civilized countries the benefit of the doubt.

Unable to shake the frustration, she walked to clear her mind. She stopped in Ianto’s office to give Trefor a hug and check on Michael even if she didn’t admit it. 

“What are you working on?” Gwen asked with her arm around Trefor. He sat on Ianto’s desk building a Lego castle.

“Torchwood London. The unions would complain about the bots, but no one but us would know the layout. Most of the Atmore people could be relocated. Bree wants to come back.”

After Ianto’s experience with the Institute, the Cyberman, and Lisa, Gwen imagined that wasn’t a fun project. “We don’t have the people.”

“Not fully staffed, no. Luc’s robots and the maintenance bots would help. Owen could organize the medical division. Torchwood needs a full medical department. With the corporations, we need to clear the shelters. Programs for the homeless and at-risk teens would fill a lot of positions over time. London politicians should like the PR. Anyone who can’t work, we’d move to the former MP facility after the dreamfish situation is resolved.”

“Who’s running it?”

Ianto shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Gwen didn’t believe him, but decided not to push. 

“Anwen is worried,” Trefor said as she stepped away from the desk. 

She turned back to Trefor. He’d been oddly quiet about Anwen since she collapsed. Her and Rhys explained it the best they could. They didn’t understand the coma or the fused nanogenes; they couldn’t expect a three-year-old to understand. “She’s sleeping.”

Trefor shook his head. 

Ianto reached out set a hand Trefor’s hand. 

With no idea, she left the office and headed for the infirmary. They knew her children had some type of connection. The Rift abilities were part of it. Trefor’s empathy was another part. The general had been unable or unwilling to explain any of it. 

Seeing Owen working in the infirmary would take getting used to. He checked John’s condition oblivious to the fact that the Owen she knew died as a result of John’s actions. 

“No change.” Dmitri sounded tired. If the Owen she remembered was any indication, he had Dmitri up all night explaining everything he could.

“Any indication of distress?”

“No.” Dmitri eyed her a moment. “Why?”

Gwen shrugged. She didn’t want to explain Trefor’s insight to either of them.

“What’s your job?” Owen asked without looking up from the screen.

She kept the first thought that came to mind. “I’m an investigator.”

“Who do I give my supply list to?”

“Ianto.”

Owen sighed. “He doesn’t like me.”

Gwen smiled. “It’s your charming personality.”

“I’m being blamed for things I haven’t done.”

“You knew a Ianto ten years ago? Were you nice to him?”

“That’s irrelevant.”

Gwen laughed. “Remember that before calling him Jack’s shag boy.”

Owen grimaced. “How does he remember that? How do you remember that?”

That was the day Ianto shot Owen in the arm trying to prevent the Rift from being opened. Which led to a nightmare series of events caused by Bilis Manger to summon a demon. He used blackmailed to motivate all of them to disobey Jack. She saw Rhys’ mangled body more than once that day. Owen shot Jack in the head. Jack faced Abbadon, and the demon left him essentially dead for days. No matter how long she lived, she would remember.

“Something bad happened that day.”

“What else do you remember about me?”

Your insufferably ego, Gwen thought. “You’re a brilliant, condescending bastard.”

“Yes I am.”

Gwen’s mobile rang. A call from Lacene Harpham had to be about Andy. “I have to take this.” She stepped into the hallway and let the door behind her. “Cooper.”

“Good afternoon.” It sounded more like a threat than a greeting. “I’ve been reviewing the Connie Ryan stalker case and I have concerns.”

“Connie said you suspected a coworker.”

Harpham made a disagreeing sound. “I think it’s worse than that. According to the Cardiff PD file, it’s been an inconsistent problem for several years. Very few of the incidents were reported by Ryan. In each instance, there was another witness.” She took a moment. “Stalker basics. The stalker believes he or she has a relationship with the target. A former love interest or friend might believe an outside force interfered with the relationship. An acquaintance, coworker, or stranger imagines a relationship that never existed. The person is obsessive and has unhealthy ways of expressing affection. The object of the stalker’s obsession sooner or later rejects the stalker, sometimes without realizing the stalker exists. Events escalate. Abduction, assault, rape, homicide. It depends on the stalker and the trigger.” 

Gwen wondered where Harpham was going. 

“From reading notes previously, it’s been going on longer than five or six years. While stalkers don’t have to be interested in a romantic relationship, it’s usually the case from my experience. Ryan has solid friends, family and a long-term boyfriend. This stalker has not lashed out in jealousy at any of them. If a stalker escalated to the point of burning a person alive, it would be the competition or the target.”

“What are you thinking?” 

“Ryan has an actual connection with this individual. From the type of crimes, I would guess the person is male. He could be a coworker, as I discussed with Ryan, but he’s probably an acolyte. What’s interesting about Beddoe’s death is the result. If Andy died, you wouldn’t let it go. After burning man, you would have drove Andy out of town yourself.” Harpham paused. “Did you wonder why the stalker chose now to go after Andy?”

“No.” Gwen believed the infidelity rumors triggered it.

“If the stalker was mad enough to burn Beddoe, he wouldn’t have thought twice about burning Andy. Instead he got Andy out of town without anyone wondering why he wanted Andy gone.”

“Andy knows something about Connie and the police department,” Gwen realized.

“That’s my guess. Does Connie know where Andy is?”

“I don’t know.”

“I will find Andy. You need to figure out what Connie’s hiding.”

Gwen stared at her mobile while she tried to wrap her mind around Harpham’s assessment. There were any number of ways Connie could have staged Andy’s death without suspicion. She worked vice. If she was dirty, she knew people. Gwen wondered if there might be a reason Connie needed to get Andy out of town to protect him. Beddoe’s death was drastic, and the other man’s death was potentially a cover. Andy was in protective custody and therapy as a result. What would be bad enough to justify it?

Powell Beddoe was involved in prostitution and somehow connected to Gordon-Glen. From the circumstances of DCI Sawyer’s death, Beddoe was involved. Both men appeared connected to Noble Industries. She assumed Sawyer’s death was a result of his involvement with Noble. It made Beddoe look guilty. There had to be more to Sawyer’s death. With what they’d since learned about the dreamfish, it wasn’t a drug. Poisoning Sawyer with it would lead to his associates. It sounded more like the vigilantes, except the ones they knew about were unstable. Palfreyman and the person controlling her might not be the only one’s involved. Or catching her might have been to easy. The question was how to figure it out.

With the new information, Gwen went to check if Jack was back from the store. Checking the possibilities, rather than trying to contact him, gave her more time to think. Harpham’s assessment of motivation bothered Gwen. A staged accident or a mugging-gone-wrong would have been less problematic. Two violent, graphic homicides grabbed everyone’s attention. Andy was protected and the renewed investigation into Connie’s stalker had a lot of people concerned for her. The motivation could have been protecting Connie. Either way, it left one worrisome question. What would be bad enough to justify it?


	14. Chapter 14

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Ianto Jones considered his options. The two cultists that chased Sarah were dumb thugs. Lindon and Palfreyman were insane. Family and friends of the original five victims, that could be located had nothing to add. Maxwell Evanson’s brother Leith disappeared, possibly with their mother and her husband that worked for Gordon-Glen. According to a neighbor, Maxwell had a friend or girlfriend named Deidre. They hadn’t been able to find her. Unless she spoke to Maxwell’s neighbor, she probably didn’t know they were looking for her. 

Suspected Gordon-Glen associates might be useful. Toft Leger died trying to abduct Maddox was reportedly his father’s coworker in Liverpool although they’d been unable to confirm it. Heartfield was following Teleri and arguably intended to abduct her. The question was what to do with the information.

Teleri Voyles was an odd target. Her family’s church was nothing like the Light and the Way. She’d been exposed in an unknown way after the first failed attempt. She was the only known immunity. Heartfield wasn’t a thug. Teleri’s Anwen-like response to being followed had probably been unexpected.

While he didn’t want to press any of the kids, showing Teleri, Wynne and Sarah pictures shouldn’t be traumatic. The question was who to include. The five original victims, Sawyer, Beddoe, Leger, Heartfield, the two cultists, Lindon and CCTV from the restaurant sounded like a good place to start.

Ianto checked his watch. Dmitri had Michael for another hour. That would be enough time. Ianto tapped his ear com. “Jack, Gwen, who’s in the hub?”

“What do you need?” Jack asked.

Ianto pushed his desk chair back. “I want to talk to Mrs. Purcell and the kids. Can Trefor sit with you?”

“Yeah. Are you in your office?”

“Yep.” Ianto stood.

“Give me a few minutes.”

“Uncle Jack?”

“Yep.” Ianto quickly organized the photographs on a tablet. Heartfield was problematic. They had an ID photo and several old ones from Europol. 

The door opened. Ianto looked up and smiled. Jack wore his coat and carried Trefor’s. While they’d had an early lunch, Trefor could use a break. With his sister in the infirmary and everyone worried about safety, he’d been inside for to long.

“Pizza?” Trefor’s eyes lit up.

Ianto tousled Trefor’s hair. “Be good.”

“Pepperoni.”

“Do not throw food.”

“Babies throw food,” Trefor’s countered.

Jack gave Ianto a hug. “We can go to the pirate themed restaurant for supper.”

“We’re not picking up women,” Ianto said quietly. The first time he and Jack went there was a hen party eying Jack.

“Men?”

Ianto groaned. “Movie?”

“Maybe.”

It was a ridiculous, fake argument. They needed to go back to the events Nessa recommended. It would help with the stress. Without Laren it wouldn’t be as fun. But the brief pang of jealousy said the anxiety was worsening again. Dinner out would be a nice start. Even if it felt wrong with Anwen and John in the infirmary.

Ianto couldn’t help but wonder about Laren as he headed for the former alchemy lab where Meredith Purcell and all three girls were making the best of the situation. Laren accepted a foster child who turned out to have an alien symbiont and a corporation after him. She went into protective custody with the child. The last time he talked to her, she was asking about the boy’s mother, and whether her injuries had healed enough to be reunited with Maddox. It was impressive. The whole situation showed there were kids whose own families didn’t care about them nevertheless foster parents.

Which was similar to Mrs. Purcell’s current situation. Her and Wynne were brought into the hub because of Teleri. Not only did Mrs. Purcell not complain, she had accepted responsibility for keeping an eye on Teleri and later Sarah. Without her help, he’d be trying to juggle his office duties and keep track of the girls.

David Purcell was another story. A background check said he was an arse. His wife kicked him out of the family home on Christmas for a variety of offenses. While the Voyles family called, complained and threatened legal action over Teleri being at the hub, Purcell was quiet. From what they’d learn from the court system, he attempted to use both the restaurant situation and what happened with Teleri against his wife in court filings. There was no indication he’d inquired about Wynne’s safety or current whereabouts. The remaining question about David Purcell was why he wasn’t listed in the police investigation of the restaurant. There was no indication he was involved, but he should have been a suspect in the beginning.

Ianto stopped outside the old lab and tapped the panel. “Mrs. Purcell, I was hoping to ask a few questions.”

The door opened a few minutes later. “Good news?” She sounded hopeful.

“No news. I have some pictures to show the girls. If they recognize anyone, it would give me a new direction.”

Meredith Purcell stepped back and motioned him into the room. A television, movie rack and book shelves had been added for them. The storage boxes and lamp had been moved by Dmitri, making it look larger. Teleri, Wynne and Sarah sat at the table playing a board game. All three eyed him as he moved into the room.

“I have a question,” Teleri said. “Torchwood can take on aliens and worldwide threats. Why do you work in a pit?”

“It’s hard to break into.” Ianto pulled a chair over to the table.

“How’s Anwen?” Wynne asked quietly.

Ianto set the tablets on the table. “She’s still in a coma, but holding on.”

“Did you find my mum?” Sarah asked.

He hesitated. Veronica Isaacs was arrested by UNIT for her connection to bio-terrorism. “She’s in jail.” Signing her daughter up to be exposed would likely result in permanent incarceration. 

Sarah nodded, staring at the table.

Ianto set a tablet in front of each of the girls. “Please look through the pictures. If you recognize anyone, show me.”

Teleri made eye contact. “What are we looking for?”

“There has to be something we’re missing,” Ianto explained.

“Mr. Jones.” Meredith Purcell motioned him aside.

He stood and crossed the room. 

“David’s brother sent me several text messages this morning. No one can find him.” She held up her phone. “He wants to know if David’s been arrested. They’ve called the hospitals and the morgue.”

“Not that I know of.”

“My husband is an arse, but he’s a predictable arse. David likes drama and being the center of attention. The ridiculous flashy car. The affair with a woman half his age. He picked a fight with my youngest brother at Christmas.” She sighed and rubbed her face. “But he goes to work on time. If his family calls, he answers. His mother’s sick.”

“I’ve seen this guy,” Teleri said.

Ianto suspected it was Heartfield. He moved back to the table. An idea occurred to him as he looked at the image. He turned to Mrs. Purcell. “Would you look at the pictures?”

After a moment, she joined them at the table. “Toft Leger.” She picked up the tablet. “He’s some type of project coordinator. He helps businesses find properties, contractors, equipment.” She looked at him. “How’s he involved?”

“I’m not sure. How do you know him?”

“David is a real estate agent. He has a lot of contacts.”

Wynne held out a different picture. “I saw this man talking to dad before Christmas.”

Werner Heartfield. That wasn’t good. “Jack will need to talk to your husband. I need his business and contact information.”

“This man is a cop.” Sarah held out a picture of Sawyer.

Ianto reached for Sarah’s tablet, and she handed it to him. He flipped through until he found a picture of Powell Beddoe. “Does he look familiar?”

Mrs. Purcell nodded. “He’s a local businessman.”

“Would you recognize any of the buildings your husband represented?” 

She nodded. “Some.”

Ianto had more questions than when they started. David Purcell was some way connected to Gordon-Glen. He should have been an initial suspect in the poisoning case. It was standard procedure. But he wasn’t mentioned. If the kids were correct, he was involved with Leger, Heartfield and Beddoe. All three died in extreme ways. They needed to find David Purcell immediately. 

Ianto motioned Meredith Purcell aside. “Did you husband’s personality or behavior change recently?”

“Yeah.”

“Can you think of anything that could have caused it?”

“He was diagnosed with cancer. But he got a second opinion. There was no cancer.”

Ianto wondered if Gordon-Glen had somehow treated his cancer. They were known for custom genetics research. The general at one point had suggested a nanogene alternative project could have been involved. The question was how that connected to the alien and the bioweapon.

It also made him question whether Teleri was the intended target at the restaurant. No one could mistake Wynne and Anwen. But the person could have been distracted and mixed up the drinks. David Purcell had shown no interest in his daughter since she came to Torchwood. Like Sarah’s mother, he could have intended to expose Wynne to the bioweapon for an unknown reason.


	15. Chapter 15

** Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

** Wednesday, January 6, 2021 **

Aman Oliveira woke from a nightmare about a temple rising from the desert near Torchwood Nigeria and a vague enemy. The anxiety gave him an idea. After Atmore, they knew that Rifts in other universes could affect this one for various reasons. The details weren’t clear. It would be a long time before Luc was ready to tackle that mystery. But it reminded him of two things. Torchwood Nigeria was founded as a result of alien artifacts and technology found in Nigeria. And Eryn’s comment to Luc that if something happened that was proof it was possible. The artifacts found in Nigeria, and later other areas of Africa, said there was Rift activity somehow.

“Aman?” Kailen murmured. “What time is it?”

“After Four. Go back to sleep.”

“Stay.” Kailen reached for him. 

Aman leaned over and kissed him. “I need to check something.”

“I’ll help.”

Arguing was pointless. Kailen distracted him in the shower which Aman wouldn’t have minded under other circumstances. But it left him trying to remember his original idea. 

“Come back to bed.”

Aman kissed him until they were both breathless. “No.”

Kailen swore.

Aman laughed and threw a towel at him. 

Ten minutes later he was dressed and headed for the break room. After half a mug of coffee, Aman felt awake enough to investigate his theory. CN and dreamfish were not the only connections between the corporation-related cases that started a year-and-a-half ago. Colin Doyle and the youngest Keara Montfert spent time in Cameroon. When Ronald Beaupre died, there was a freighter from there. The freighter destroyed off the coast of Calais, France had Denmark registry but had come from Cameroon. John had been attacked there before winding up high in a Welsh park. Was it a coincidence?

Torchwood left Nigeria in 1960 after the British returned the country to it’s people. A basic Internet search said the Nigerian government was unstable until 1999. If a corporation was operating in the area, they needed a stable location. Cameroon appeared more stable after the people gained control in 1960. A crisis in the 1980s or 1990s would have caused problems for a corrupt company.

That left twenty to thirty years when a corporation could have taken advantage of inconsistent Rift activity in nearby Nigeria. Information in Ruthie Beaupre’s files indicated Torchwood had a researcher in the 1970s and 1980s with a Rift ability capable of pulling specific things from the Rift. Torchwood, or a later corporation, would have to know about the alien and it’s benefit to intentionally abduct it. That suggested a previous alien arrived and was used in experiments. 

Aman didn’t like the number of assumptions necessary. 

Another question was if Torchwood actually left Nigeria. It was an active area, and the facility housed dangerous artifacts. From what Jack said, he was unaware of the Nigerian facility. Either he had no reason to know, or it was a secret. Both were possible.

Aman sent a message asking if any artifacts had been added or removed between Torchwood leaving and Idrissa arriving decades later. If someone was cataloging items, the facility was in use. If it was active, then whether or not agents were publicly listed would answer some questions.

 

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

Liam Doughtery entered Trefor’s bedroom and hoped he wasn’t intruding. Nessa was dressed and making the bed. He could hear the shower through the open bathroom door. It was a weird, uneasy feeling. When he was alone with Trefor, it didn’t feel strange. Seeing Nessa reminded him that Trefor was out of reach. It wouldn’t have been a problem if they didn’t live and work together.

“You’re not intruding.” Nessa’s reassurance didn’t help.

“The website is already generating tips.”

Nessa moved over to him and held out her hand. “How do I make this easier?”

Liam exhaled loudly. “You can’t. Trefor doesn’t see me the way he sees you.”

She reached out and lightly touched Liam’s face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you hurt.”

“You didn’t.”

“You don’t have to leave.”

Liam set his hand over Nessa’s. “I don’t know what I’m doing yet.”

Nessa gave him a moment. “Canada would be a good place.”

“Nova Scotia has two couples.”

“Aman and Kailen can show you the club scene.” She leaned in and kissed him lightly. “You can’t go back to dealing with dumb tourists.”

Trefor walked out of the bathroom wearing a towel. “What did I miss?”

Liam went with the first thing that came to mind. “The website. We have a few bogus comments. Three drug reports need to be passed to the Garda. One tip from Cardiff is strange.”

“Define strange.”

“Bodies that smell like sulfur, except there is an article about the temporary ME asking for a priest because of that. The message said the former ME, a Dr. Floyd, was attacked to get the new ME into the office. Dr. Jenkins can be manipulated. He has information in exchange for protection from the demon. He contacted us instead of Three because Captain Harkness is romantically involved with Dr. Floyd.”

Trefor grumbled. “The person who sent that is probably connected to Cardiff PD. The sulfur was some type of disturbed joke to mess with Dr. Jenkins. We can’t offer protection from the  demon .” He paused. “Send a copy of the message to Jack. Contact Kailen and ask him to trace the email.”

 

** Torchwood Nigeria; Sokoto State, Nigeria **

Idrissa Oliveira found Hana, Xiu and Matt standing in his office. He could not blame them. First Atmore abducted them and then they were forced to remain at the compound. It wasn’t the first time any of them had asked to leave. A group approach was new. He previously discussed it with Aman. He didn’t have a problem with Hana or Xiu, but had concerns about Kailen’s reaction to Matt. 

“I will ask again.”

Hana nudged Xiu. While the young woman wasn’t shy, making requests made her nervous. “I want to go to Ireland not Canada.” 

Idrissa hesitated. “The Dublin office is chaotic.” 

“Ireland.”

“I need to set-up a conference call. I will ask.” Idrissa looked from Hana to Matt. “Canada?”

Hana nodded.

“Would Dublin or Cardiff be better?” Matt asked.

That was not a conversation Idrissa wanted to have. “No. Canada handles science and computers. Aman is concerned about upsetting his husband. Kailen can be irrational. You may need to tell him Aman’s not your type.”

“He’s projecting?” 

“No.” It was an abandonment issue stemming from his father’s death and the odd knowledge that he would have died at De Waal Park if Charon had not saved him. 

Matt ushered the girls out. He was probably behind the group approach. Sending him to Canada would be best. Although Matt came from the 1990s, Canada was home. Stress had a way of generating bad ideas. Since they arrived from Atmore, Idrissa had considered approaching Matt more than once. He was only a few years younger, but they had nothing in common. And Idrissa wasn’t ready to move on.

The distraction forced him to think where he had the information for Aman. When he found it, Idrissa called on Skype to request the conference call. A way had been figured out to network all four offices together. He’d forgotten to check the time difference. It thankfully wasn’t a problem.

 

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Having a meeting in the conference room had changed a lot. Jack Harkness held Trefor on his lap. Trefor insisted on building a Lego castle. Ianto sat next to him with Michael in a sling. Gwen distributed coffee because Ianto had the baby. Dmitri and Owen sat on the opposite side from Ianto and left the seat next to Jack for Gwen. 

“Can Ken sit with the kids?” The situation obviously annoyed Owen. He’d been good about not voicing it in front of the boys.

“Ken needs a break,” Dmitri said. “He’s exhausted and resting on a cot next to John.”

“I’m being good.” Trefor sounded cranky. He probably needed a nap. 

Jack tousled Trefor’s hair.

Gwen set a mug in front of Owen. “What are you good for?”

“I can’t say. There are children present.” Owen smiled at her. 

Gwen met Jack’s eyes over Owen’s head. 

Jack smiled. That was Owen. “The children behave better.”

Owen sighed. 

“What do we have?” Jack asked as Gwen sat.

“The acting medical examiner is an idiot. I had to ask his secretary for files. She sent me a few extra since Dr. Jenkins took over for Dr. Floyd.” Owen held up a tablet. “If a constable says a death was accidental, he won’t question it.”

“Were the bodies cremated?”

“No, thankfully. The office is keeping an eye on that. Another doctor is quietly checking over ignored  accidental deaths.” 

“Anything interesting?”

“The guy sprinkling sulfur on bodies is a sick…” Owen eyed Trefor a moment. “There have been an increase in suspicious accidents.”

“Any dreamfish updates?”

“I just started reviewing autopsy reports. Dr. Floyd is impressive. Whoever had her attacked doesn’t want a competent ME.”

The question was why. Bobby Zhao was quiet. Jack had been doing backgrounds on the people he killed trying to get an idea about the situation. His immediate concern was Zhao got frustrated and was working his way through known criminals looking for information. 

“The officer investigating Connie’s stalker has concerns he was involved with the attack. The injured constable has a lot of enemies. DCI Harpham believes Connie knows her stalker, wanted Andy out of Cardiff to keep him from finding something out because she’s Connie’s dirty. I don’t agree,” Gwen said. 

“I found something.” Dmitri hesitated. “The house John blew up has an odd history. The last owner was connected to an occult group according to her obituary. She was also related to the Tews.”

“Bad man.” Trefor said quietly.

Jack gave Trefor a quick hug and whispered in his ear.

“I think she was responsible for the Tablet of Kings. It’s possible John’s exposure affected the fused Nanogenes. The question is why she built it.” He hesitated. “I think the first child mentioned in the prophecy is Anwen.  A dragon will wake in the Underworld and give the child the power of the gods. According to Celtic mythology, dreams are based in the Underworld. The situation in Forest Farm was caused by a large reptile that is either an energy being or doesn’t exist.”

“Anwen is worried.”

Owen put his hand in front of him. “Is this a joke?”

“Did you deal with the ancient creatures Estelle called fairies?”

“Yeah.” Owen nodded.

“There are other ancients, Owen. Lewella and her kind blow up parts of cemeteries.” Jack lightly squeezed Ianto’s leg. “Morpheus, Phantasos and Icelus can enter and control people’s dreams.” 

“Icelus hasn’t said anything recently. The threat to their dreamers is gone or silent.” Dmitri shrugged.

Owen stood. “I have autopsies to read.”

After the door closed behind Owen, Dmitri stood. “I should check on Ken.”

“He hurts a lot,” Trefor said after Dmitri left. “His friend’s sick and he can’t make him better.”

Gwen looked at Ianto. “I have errands to run. Rhys and I have dinner reservations. Will you watch Trefor?”

“Yeah,” Ianto said.

Trefor looked at his mum. “Dad call tonight.”

“Yeah.” Gwen leaned over the table and kissed Trefor on the head. “Be good for your uncles.”

The com indicated an incoming call as Gwen left. “Computer, activate call.”


	16. Chapter 16

“I think it is agreed by all parties that this prodigious number of children in the arms, or on the backs, or at the heels of their mothers, and frequently of their fathers, is, in the present deplorable state of the kingdom, a very great additional grievance.”

A Modest Proposal by Johnathan Swift

 

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

** Thursday, January 7, 2021 **

Owen Harper reviewed blood work from Dr. Palfreyman and the adults at the facility housing people exposed to the bioweapon. The results were puzzling. While toxins and diseases affected people different, the function should have been the same. The only possible similarity appeared to be hormonal. 

Dawn Sowell was pregnant and survived until full-term. She died. Michael lived with no obvious side-effects. Notes on the child’s development indicated he was unusually agreeable for an infant. From what little Owen had seen, that could be explained by the almost continual attention he received.

Dr. Katrine Palfreyman’s medical records prior to exposure indicated she had early menopause. She’d been undergoing hormone therapy. Her doctor diagnosed cancer and ordered more tests. Palfreyman suddenly canceled her appointments without explanation. Which suggested to Owen she opted for an alternative treatment.

David Purcell had a cancer diagnosis. The kid in Nova Scotia accessed his medical records using information provided by Meredith Purcell. Except David claimed it was inaccurate and started behaving erratically until his wife threw him out. Having spoken with Meredith, Owen concluded the situation had to have been extreme.

According to Dmitri, John Hart and Maddox Tray were outliers. John was in a coma as technology in his body fought the retrovirus Anwen had been exposed to. Maddox Tray had genetic changes that weren’t life-threatening and a symbiotic alien presumed related to the exposure. If he had it prior to exposure, it might explain more.

The death reports made less sense. Cardiac arrest appeared to be the primary cause of death. The two men at Forest Farm were hallucinating. Dreamfish could cause disturbing hallucinations. Amplified by the retrovirus, if that’s what it was, coupled with mental health symptoms like Palfreyman, and they could have been scared to death. Except for the large reptile gashes.

He agreed with the girl in Nova Scotia that dreamfish were a bizarre delivery method. The theory that it had something to do with the alien’s environmental requirements made some sense. The boy in Dublin’s thoughts on the retrovirus and his comments about the cult facility harvesting blood plasma for some type of medical production were impressive. The bioweapon was probably not intended to be a weapon. The aerosol dispersal units could have been used for intentional exposure like the cult. 

Owen sat back. If the retrovirus affected hormones, it would have a very different affect on prepubescent children. The Dublin kid suggested antibodies. Children were more likely to have better immune systems. The question then was what harvesting the antibodies accomplished. 

If Palfreyman was an indication, the process failed. Or a part of the process failed. Owen checked Palfreyman’s blood work again. There was no indication of cancer.

“Computer, activate com.” It chimed. “Jack, I need to come to the infirmary now.”

Owen spent the wait trying to think of another possibility. Working for Torchwood, he’d seen the awful and the unimaginable. But there had to be a limit to what people would do to each other. Although after the 456 situation, sacrificing other people’s children shouldn’t have been that shocking to him. Unfortunately, by the time the door opened, he didn’t have a different idea.

Jack stepped into the infirmary. 

“I have an ugly possibility.” Owen didn’t want to say it. “I need blood from the kids. All the kids. Starting with Teleri.”

“Why?”

“When the 456 demanded children, the world should have said ‘fuck you.’ It didn’t. Politicians and world leaders got together and decided they would hand over poor kids. They raided orphanages and public housing. All to save the world.”

Jack nodded. Something about his expression said it was a bad example.

“What if a corporation found a way to turn poor kids into a medical treatment they could charge insanely for? Find a source of children no one would notice missing. Orphanages, street kids, refugees. Expose them. Harvest the antibodies. Treat wealthy people. Make money.” Owen felt sick. “Fewer poor kids saves money to.”

“The kids’ blood will say one way or the other?”

That wasn’t the worst part. “Yeah. If the antibodies can be turned into a miracle drug, recreating it is the only way I’m saving the kids. If they can be saved.”

Jack closed his eyes. “Is there any reason David Purcell would have needed Wynne’s antibodies specifically?”

“I can only guess. I don’t have enough information.” Owen paused. “If there is a blood type requirement or other biological complication, a blood relative could be the best choice. Like bone marrow. Or an organ transplant.” He reached for a tablet with Palfreyman’s details. “Dr. Palfreyman was cured of cancer. If her insanity is a consequence of the treatment, then something went wrong. Purcell was diagnosed with cancer.” Owen held out his hands. “There is no way for me to know.”

“There might be. Veronica Isaacs signed her daughter up to be exposed. If we can get Isaacs medical records, we’d have a better idea. UNIT has her. We’re not getting her back.”

Owen took a moment to compose himself. “I wouldn’t do that to a kid I didn’t know. How…” He shook his head. “And Jack, if I’m right, the only way we’re protecting Teleri Voyles is to burn the Gordon-Glen network to the ground and destroy the research, biologicals and the alien.”

“Why?”

“Teleri is unaffected by the retrovirus. She’s a healthy source of antibodies.”

 

Owen stood back as Jack explained the basics to Meredith Purcell. The blood rushed from her face and she lost her balance. Jack held her while she cried. It took several minutes for her to compose herself. While Owen normally would have considered a snarky comment or two, none came to him. He wanted to be wrong.

“What happened?” Teleri demanded.

“We have an idea of what’s happening,” Owen said simply. “To test the theory, we need blood from everyone exposed.” They had discussed what to tell the girls, but there was no way to sugar coat it. “Sarah’s mum needed difficult to access medical treatment.” Veronica Isaacs had stage four cancer and met the criteria for hospice. “It’s possible the cult offered a treatment option.”

“Dad has cancer,” Wynne said quietly.

Teleri put her arms around the other girls’ shoulders. “Just a little blood test like at the doctor’s office?”

“Yes,” Owen said. 

Scared, and tear-stained, Wynne and Sarah held Teleri’s hand and said nothing. Teleri waited until her friends were seated across the room to speak. “What did the bastard want with me?” She asked quietly.

That was not a conversation he wanted to have with a child. “Your immunity could benefit their research.”

“Considering the holy hell my family is raising right now, it has to be important.”

“We’ll know more when we get results.”

 

The in-depth scans from the new lab equipment supported Owen’s initial theory. Teleri’s antibodies were incredible. Wynne and Sarah’s blood work answered a few questions. Wynne had her mother’s blood type and wouldn’t be a match for her father, if the criteria was comparable to bone marrow or organ donation. Sarah shared her mother’s blood type, low white blood cell count and possibly cancer. He still needed more information.

On a hunch, Owen carefully transferred a few of Teleri’s antibodies into Sarah’s blood. Several minutes later, the antibodies were indistinguishable from Sarah’s blood. He needed a way to test it. This universe should have animal control. He needed access to really sick test subjects.

Owen found Jack waiting in the hall, and explained. “There is no ethical way to do this. If the antibodies work as expected, there is no way to know how they will affect a person. The affected adults would be the first to receive the treatment. They can’t legally consent as they’re insane. If it doesn’t kill them, the children will have to be treated without parental permission. I wouldn’t trust a parent who would consent.”

“I will make arrangements at the facility to get blood from the kids.” Jack exhaled. “We have a partial nanogene station in the infirmary. It can evaluate Sarah and treat her. Dmitri knows how it works.”

Owen nodded. “That shared coma. Is there any way to replicate that?”

“Why?”

“I want a solution that doesn’t require human experimentation in a desperate attempt to save lives.”


	17. Chapter 17

** Costco, Capital Retail Park; Cardiff, Wales **

** Saturday, January 9, 2021 **

Using facial recognition and CCTV, Jack Harkness quickly found Constable Peter Harries. Kailen traced anonymous message Harries sent to Dublin using Four’s new website. The man had information on Dr. Floyd’s injuries and wanted protection from Bobby Zhao. The rumor relationship between Jack and Dr. Floyd reportedly kept him from contacting Cardiff. As Andy’s friend and roommate, Peter should have been a lot more concerned about Gwen.

“I’m going to kill him,” Gwen said before stepping out of the Torchwood van.

Jack smiled. “We need Peter’s information first.” 

“Peter is probably the reason Beddoe was fried.”

Finding the man in a crowded store would take time, but it was better than approaching where he’d have a better opportunity to run. Gwen stayed by the doors. Jack checked aisles. Under different circumstances, Gwen would have been a more subtle approach. With his clothes, he stood out.

Luck was on his side. He saw Peter before Peter saw him. The man hesitated, looking at his mother. The wheelchair-bound woman was both an advantage and a complication. Whatever Peter Harries had done, he stayed with his mother. 

“Constable Harries, Mrs. Harries. I’m Captain Harkness of Torchwood.” Jack smiled for the woman. Ianto had already determined Isolde Harries had surgery and needed a carer. “I apologize for disrupting your shopping. I need to discuss a case with your son.”

“I didn’t realize Peter knew Torchwood.”

“One of my associates worked with Peter’s roommate Andy on the Cardiff police force years ago.” Jack took the back of the wheelchair combo car and carefully turned Mrs. Harries around. 

“Andy’s nice. Him and Connie bought me flowers while I was in the hospital.”

Reluctantly, Peter walked followed toward the front of the store.

“Is there someone else shopping with you?”

“Sadly, no. My husband isn’t feeling well and my daughter lives in Edinburgh.”

“I need Peter to come with me. Gwen, another Torchwood investigator, will take you home.”

“Oh.” She hesitated. “My husband can get around, but he’s not well enough to help me.”

“It’s all right, ma’am. We have a doctor on staff who would be happy to meet you at your house.” Thankfully, they had Dmitri. Owen would pitch a fit. “He can make sure we didn’t stress you out.”

A thought occurred to Jack. Peter Harries has to sickly parents. If he was connected to Beddoe and Sawyer, he might have been motivated by the allure of a miracle cure. Depending on the circumstances, his actions might be understandable. Unless Veronica Isaacs was promised a treatment for both herself and her daughter, she sold her child in an attempt save herself. There was definitely a difference.

Gwen approached while they stood in line making it possible for Jack to call Dmitri. He didn’t want Peter changing his mind while they waited. Gwen’s expression should give him second thoughts about running.

“I need to make that call.” Jack patted Mrs. Harries hand and walked to an empty area.

 

Ianto Jones walked through the hub attending daily and weekly chores. Trefor’s Rift ability meant he could help without a safety concern. The Weevils were restless. There was nothing to suggest they were reacting to Owen yet. The pterodactyl was nesting. If the Atmore energy did cause parthenogenesis, the exposure from Cardiff Dock resulted in the creature cloning itself. Quarantine in the secured cell was solid. The maintenance bots needed maintenance, but short of sending them to Nova Scotia, there was nothing they could currently do. He left watering the garden plants for last.

“It’s sick.” Trefor picked up a dried leaf from one of the carnivorous plants. 

Even with the Rift ability, it made Ianto’s heart race. “Trefor, that’s dangerous.”

“It won’t hurt me.”

“Humor me.” One of the plants attacked the pterodactyl. Audrey lost.

Trefor walked over to him. “I know what’s bad.”

“Still.” 

He was quiet for a few minutes. “Can we visit Anwen?”

“Yeah.” Ianto tousled Trefor’s hair. His concern about his sister was increasing. Separation anxiety and fear were the current theories. Ianto couldn’t help but wonder about the hive mind.

 

Jack Harkness asked Ianto to leave a maintenance bot by the garage entrance. He used his wrist-strap to remote-access the bot and scan Harries. The anonymous message to Dublin could easily have been a trap. Nothing in the scans indicated a threat. His medical results showed extreme stress. 

“I didn’t know.” 

“What do you know?” Jack motioned toward the open doorway.

Harries reluctantly stepped inside. “Leith Evanson’s a fucking nutter.”

Jack recognized the name. Evanson was common. Leith might not be. “Why?”

“His stepfather is connected to some big European corporation. It has the most promising advanced medical treatments.” Harries paused. “NHS has been great, but they can’t save my parents. Dad qualified for hospice and we’re filling out the paperwork. Mum is expected to qualify in a few months. They’ll both be gone before Christmas.”

“Evanson and the corporation?”

“NHS hasn’t approve the treatment through official channels yet. Testing and cost. I don’t know.” Harries shook his head. “Evanson found a way to bring it in quietly. It’s a risk but my parents are going to die.”

Jack suspected Harries was trying to justify his actions to himself. “What does that have to do with Dr. Floyd?”

“There was some type of problem. Someone died. Dr. Floyd called NHS.” Harries took a moment. “That’s when I found out I’d gotten myself into something. DCI Sawyer approached me and asked for help. He said I needed to keep it quiet or my parents wouldn’t get treatment.”

Jack wondered if she called Torchwood instead of NHS. “What did you do?”

Harries hesitated. “I told Connie. She found out about Noble Industries and used a contact to get information about the facility to Torchwood.”

That explained the information John received from Sal. “How did that result in Connie’s stalker killing Beddoe in front of Andy?”

“No. The stalker is a nutter and killed that guy in the judge’s garage, but not Beddoe. That was Deidre Leith’s psycho friend.” Harries exhaled. “Leith had some type of arrangement with Beddoe. That bioweapon at Noble Industries has something to do with the treatment.” 

They had the right motivation and the wrong suspect. Killing Beddoe wasn’t about protecting Connie. That didn’t mean Connie’s intentions were reasonable. The stalker, her connection to Sal and withholding information said there was more going on. 

“What happened to Maxwell Evanson?”

“I don’t know.”

 

Gwen Cooper couldn’t help but think of her own parents as she helped Mrs. Harries into the house. Her father died when Miracle Day ended. Her mother held on, but age and the horrors of life were to much. Watching a parent fade wasn’t an experience she’d wish on anyone. She could understand taking extreme action to prevent their suffering. What she had to do for her father’s pain medication, and to save him from the government, stayed with her. To save the world from the Blessing, she’d nearly sacrificed Jack and Rex; Ester died. 

Dmitri arrived a few minutes later and checked on Mr. Harries first. 

“What did my son do?”

“Jack needed to ask him some questions.”

“Ms. Cooper, I’m old not addled. Everything Captain Harkness said and did was to reassure me and keep Peter from taking off.”

Gwen turned from the counter. “We think he got involved in unethical medical research.”

Mrs. Harries sighed. “Steffan and I have lived long lives. Our son is a constable that teaches children about the government and law enforcement. Our daughter is an engineer with two kids headed for college in a few years. We’ve been blessed.” She paused. “Peter doesn’t want to let go.”

“Losing a parent is difficult. Both of mine are gone.” 

“How much trouble is he in?”

“I don’t know.”

Dmitri returned to the kitchen twenty minutes later and motioned Gwen aside. “We can’t leave them alone. Mr. Harries doesn’t understand his medication. He showed me hospice paperwork, but it’s not enough. They need a full-time carer.”

“Can you handle it until we can make other arrangements?”

“Yeah.” Dmitri paused. “Mr. Harries is not going to accept a male caregiver. I would guess him and his son had disagreements over it. Gender roles, religion…”

“That type of mindset generally accepts a male doctor.”

“He thinks you’re my nurse.” Dmitri held out his hands. “I tried to explain.”

“Dementia?”

“Possibly. He has memory issues. Their son posted notes everywhere.”

“Bring me the paperwork. We won’t leave them here alone,” Gwen assured. “You need to stay for right now.” 


	18. Chapter 18

** Hive Mind **

Anwen Williams walked around the redesigned Torchwood London building. It looked familiar. The closer she stood to it, the stronger she felt the alien’s anxiety. From what they knew of the hive mind, which wasn’t necessarily accurate, it was a construct based on a memory. Anwen doubted it was her memory, and John didn’t recognize the building. While Dr. Palfreyman was an unreliable source, she said it was an old building in Cardiff that was in the news a couple years earlier.

Frustrated, she walked back toward the stable. John found a way to entertain himself and the kids. He was telling a ridiculous story about fighting really stupid aliens. It made her think of Bilbo Baggins and Lord of the Rings. If there was any truth to it, John edited out the bad parts.

She waited until the last alien fell out an airlock, and the kids were laughing. “I hate to interrupt.” The humor faded as the kids looked at her. “Someone knows about that building.” She motioned behind her. “I need to know what it and where it’s located.” The blank looks reminded her of why they liked John’s outrageous stories. “Is it in Cardiff or London or another city? Does it have offices or doctors?”

“It’s a hospital,” a seven-year-old girl said. “We woke up there after the round metal things attacked.”

If Anwen translated little girl correctly, that meant the alien was worried about the hospital the children were transferred to by Torchwood. Their original location was some type of research facility where the kids were exposed and large amounts of blood was drawn. It made them sick.

“Raise your hand if you have been awake at the hospital?”

Half of the group’s hands went up.

“Tell me about one of the adults at the hospital. Weird, scary, odd.” Anwen pointed toward one of the kids whose hand was in the air. “You.” She would have learned their names, except there were more than thirty that came and went.

“Miriam keeps us safe. She’s not mean, but she’s scary.”

Anwen thought that could be Miriam Morgans. It made sense the Refuge sent help. She motioned to another girl. 

“Dr. Cultice is mean. She gives orders and gets mad if we don’t understand.”

Uncle Jack would have to go outside Torchwood for people to run the facility. “Does she work in London?”

The girl nodded. “At a unit?”

Shit . Jack might not have had options. UNIT could be a problem. “You.”

“Mr. Williams is nice. He told Dr. Cultice she couldn’t yell at us.”

Her dad definitely would. “You.”

“Mrs. Sealy is a social worker. She’s mean.”

Anwen listened to the mostly negative comments. The doctors were mean. A few of the nurses were nice. Miriam and her security people were scary. When a little boy mentioned a scientist from London, a surge of fear swept through her. The alien was definitely worried about the facility. “Thank you.” She smiled for the kids and motioned John aside.

“We need to get a message to Uncle Jack.” She explained what she felt around the building and the fear. “How did he come into your mind?”

“A dream-sharing talisman.” John was trying to keep his concern from her. “He would have to initiate it.”

Anwen knew there had to be a way. She could ask the kids to tell Miriam when they woke up, but she had no idea if the woman was part of the problem. There was no way to guarantee any of the kids would be taken seriously. Then a thought occurred to her. There a way to send a message by having someone wake up, but it wasn’t the kids.

She looked at John. He was there because she latched onto him subconsciously through their connection to save herself. They both knew she could disconnected, but he hadn’t asked. Unfortunately, the result of waking John would be life-threatening to her. He might not be able to reconnect.

“No,” John said firmly.

“There is a building full of defenseless children that have already been exploited. My life is not worth whatever is happening to them.”

“No. We don’t know anything for sure.”

Anwen reached out and took John’s hand. “We both know what your Anwen would do. She’s already done it.”

“No.”

“When you wake up, John, you need to make a computer recording of everything you can remember. It’s the hospital facility and a problem with a London scientist and possibly UNIT. When you’re done, I’ll reconnect.”

“The retrovirus will kill you.”

 

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

** Sunday, January 10, 2021 **

Owen Harper left the lab and headed for the infirmary. The preliminary information was promising. A small number of antibodies transferred into a sick animal produced more antibodies. It attacked the illness but probably couldn’t be transferred afterward. Different children produced different quality antibodies. Teleri Voyles was a genetic goldmine. Burning Gordon-Glen to the ground might not protect her. He had no idea what made her different or how odd her reaction to the retrovirus was.

He moved around the occupied cots and the door slid shut behind him. A quick look at the screens said something changed in the passed several minutes. He checked his watch. It was late, but Jack was probably awake. “Computer, open connection to Jack Harkness.”

“Problem?”

“The coma patients. Their medical scans changed.”

“Do I need to wake Gwen?”

“I don’t know. You better get down here.”

“Give me a few minutes.” The connection ended.

Suddenly, the scans changed more. John was regaining conscious. An alarm sounded. With him awake, the fused nanogenes weren’t fighting the retrovirus in the girl’s body. The result would probably be fatal. Even if he was willing to risk injecting her with antibodies, there wasn’t time.

“Computer, begin recording. John Hart unknown time and date. There is an immediate threat at the medical facility housing the exposed children connected to the hive mind. Based on information from the children, and the alien, the threat is the London scientist and possibly Dr. Cultrice. End recording.”

John closed his eyes and the screens changed again. He was returning to the coma. Then the girl’s readings changed again. He ran an extra scan. The retrovirus took hold while the man was conscious. The joint coma wouldn’t keep her alive.

Jack entered the infirmary. “What happened?”

“He woke up, recorded a message, and returned to the coma.” Owen explained. “She’s not going to make it.”

“Is there anything you can do?”

Owen’s immediate thought was Teleri’s antibodies. Without knowing how the process worked, it could kill Anwen. The only other option was to inject them into John and hoped the process transferred. Except he could wind up like Dr. Palfreyman. “It’s unethical, immoral and could kill them both.”

“What?”

“You’d need to wake Teleri and ask for more blood. Her antibodies are the best.” 

“How much time does Anwen have?”

Owen reviewed what parts of the scan readings he understood. “A couple hours. Maybe.”

“Is there a risk to Teleri?”

“Minimal. The nanogene station resolved Sarah’s cancer, they could increase Teleri’s blood count. I don't need a lot.”

“Be prepared to draw the blood. Teleri is a lot like Anwen, she won’t refuse.” Jack paused. “I’ll tell Gwen.”

“Someone needs to check the facility.” 

 

** (Former Moss-Probert Research facility); Cardiff, Wales **

General Trefor Williams portaled nearby dressed like his father. While it was possible to tell him and his father apart, it was unlikely any of the offenders at the facility would be able to. After Jack called, the general contacted Miriam. He refused to provide specifics, particularly names, but asked her to lock the facility down. 

In the few minutes it took to change into the ridiculous clothes, Miriam already found a problem. Nessa was on the phone trying to keep Miriam calm when he left. The offending medical and science people that arrived from London had no idea what the Refuge security people were capable of, or that Miriam had once been an unwilling participant in a research project.

The general followed the lights to a supply receiving area. Miriam’s team had not expected an internal problem. They’d prepared for an outright attack. They would have noticed if the London people started loading up children. Samples and records weren’t considered.

Rhys stood just inside the loading bay door with wrinkled clothes and an expression somewhere between exasperation and a desire to kill people. Whatever he might have thought about his stepfather, this version appeared different. Although even the version he grew up with wouldn’t have tolerated experimenting on children. Their conflict didn’t involve depravity.

“Why are you here?” Rhys asked, the rage tangible.

“Jack had another crisis.”

“Dr. Delman, he’s a science adviser from London, tried convincing Miriam to let him leave with the extra blood samples he drew. When that didn’t work, he offered Vasu money to sedate Miriam.” Rhys paused to contain his anger. “He told me he was under orders and waived paperwork at me.”

“Is he alive?” The general wondered if the young Miriam had the self control. The woman he knew in the 2040s might not have held off.

“Unfortunately.”

“Show me.”

Three terrified people in lab coats were seated on the floor in a small freight office with their hands zip tied in front of them. A fourth laid on his side with blood spattered on his clothes. The general stepped into the doorway. He focused on impersonating Jack.

“A year-and-a-half ago, on Midsummer, an unwilling resident of a Moss-Probert research project freed people from this facility. A corporation abducted and experimented on them. They will never fully recover from what happened here. Torchwood turned this facility into a safe place for children that had been intentionally exposed to a bioweapon. Three kids are the survivors of a horrifying attack on Christmas Eve at a church. They lost everything.” He took a moment, hoping none of the scientists actually knew Jack. “Explain to me now how any of you justified further experimenting on children?”

“We need to understand the bioweapon’s effect to create a cure,” Dr. Delaman argued.

The general nodded. That even sounded plausible. “Torchwood is working on that. The blood you took from those kids, with no consideration for their health, is a bioweapon. Anyone who comes in contact with it is exposed. Transporting it requires the highest level hazmat procedures. Which doesn’t happen when you’re smuggling it out in the middle of the night.”

“We have authorization from London, Captain Harkness,” the first woman said.

“You have authorization to improperly transport a bioweapon, endangering the lives of everyone nearby?” The general stared at her. 

The second woman replied, “The only other option to create a cure is the child you’re unlawfully holding against her parents’ wishes.”

“You want to experiment on a perfectly healthy child?”

The second woman explained, “she has antibodies that could reverse the affects.” 

“Where did you get this information?”

“It’s classified,” the first woman said.

“Either you received that information from the group arrested by UNIT or the people who created the bioweapon. If they knew what they were doing, ethics aside, we wouldn’t have a growing pile of dead bodies, and numerous sick kids.”

“We were under orders,” the first woman justified.

“Captain Harkness,” Miriam said from behind him. “I need to speak with you.”

The general stepped backwards a few steps and then followed Miriam down the hall.

“The fifth member of the group attempted to abduct the feral kid from the church. The sedative didn’t work. The boy bit the man badly, and then scratched himself bloody. After exposure, the man went head first out the boy’s bedroom window. About twenty minutes ago. We were careful cleaning it up.”

“Shite.”

“You’ve been in Ireland to long, Tref.”

“Are the kids okay?”

“Yeah. We did a head count. Everyone is safe and sound. Only Refuge people participated. I requested reinforcements. Charon should be here any time.”

That should keep Zhao out of trouble. “Good. What’s the name of the dead man?”

“Dr. Trowell.”

The general took a moment to compose himself before heading back to office. He didn’t care the man was dead, it was the fact that the poor child had to defend himself. “Dr. Trowell was exposed to the bioweapon while trying to grab one of the kids. There are two options for adults. Rather than have a sudden heart attack, he had a psychological break and committed suicide.” He paused. “That is what you were willing to risk for yourself and everyone around you.”

“What are you going to do with us?” The second woman asked quietly.

The general left the room.


	19. Chapter 19

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Jack Harkness entered the infirmary with a syringe that could save Anwen’s life. He insisted. All he could think of as Gwen raged was the second ring Anwen received. Other Keara cared about her. They had every reason to believe she brought Owen to them. There was no way to know. He reviewed the scan readings himself, and couldn’t argue Owen findings. Jack checked that John had woke and left a message. Owen had already presented the preliminary tests. Everything fit.

With an uncertain amount of time left, Jack approached John’s IV. While Jack wasn’t ready to say they were friends again, they had known each other a long time. John was the only person on Earth who knew where Jack came from. They’d joined the Time Agency, done insane things and even been trapped together in a time loop for five years. After everything, he knew there was good somewhere in the shared past he could barely remember.

Jack inserted the needle and injected Teleri’s antibodies. Nothing happened for a long two minutes. Then a metal tray rattled across the room. One alarm sounded after another. He had no idea what half of them meant. When one of the small tables flew across the room, he ducked between the cots.

Ianto asked about Anwen and John’s Rift abilities as Teleri’s blood was drawn. He hadn’t expected a problem. As an indoor windstorm swirled around the infirmary, Jack was forced to rethink that. The door opened as one of the cots started rattling. It was bolted to the floor.

“Shut the door!”

The storm raged for minutes. Then suddenly, everything flying around the room crashed to the floor. The alarms ceased. Jack waited a moment before standing and turning to Anwen. She squinted against the lights. 

“Uncle Jack?”

“Welcome back.” Jack gently patted her hand.

“John?” 

“Darling.” John looked up. “What did you inject me with?”

 

John Hart sat on the floor in the hallway with his back to the wall, his knees bent and his arms resting on knees. He’s been unable to walk without help. The happiness around Anwen was overwhelming. Jack helped him escape. John had so many questions, he wasn’t sure where to start.

“How long?” There was no day or night in the hive mind. The kids had no real sense of time.

Jack sat on the floor across the hall. “Eight to nine days.”

“Is Ken all right?” With everything that already happened, the added stress wouldn’t help.

“Yeah.” Jack smiled. “He likes Mrs. Purcell and the girls.”

“He misses his job at the Disney store.” John exhaled. “Why are they here?”

Jack explained about Teleri being followed, Mrs. Purcell calling Gwen, and the chaos that followed. “I need to know you’ve changed.”

“Why?”

“That little girl is a walking goldmine.”

John closed his eyes and set his head back. “I’m not going to hurt the kid, Jack. Even I have limits at my worst.”

Jack gave it a few minutes. “We had another former Torchwood agent return. He’s the reason Anwen is still alive, and we have a solid idea of how to treat the kids. Ironically, your experience means we may have a way to save the children without having to use Teleri’s blood.”

“You injected me with the treatment for Anwen.”

“Yeah. If it didn’t work, the nanogenes wouldn’t let it do anything permanent.”

John took a moment. “That crazy woman, the Keara from wherever, set me up. Everything. My relationship with Anwen in 2044. The circumstances necessary for this office to accept me again.” John shook his head. “I don’t want to know how she figured out Dmitri would turn me into a permanent nanogene station for Anwen.”

“Where would you be if Keara hadn’t?”

“Dead from my addictions or stupidity.” 

“Is this better?”

John met Jack’s gaze across the hallway. “I spent more than a week trapped in a hive mind with small children.” He paused. “Anwen said I’m their role model.”

Jack laughed. 

After a few minutes of thought, an idea occurred to John. “My Anwen hated corporations. The biomechs were only part of it. If she lost a close friend to a corporation, it could explain some of it.” He paused. “She never questioned Miriam Morgans determination.”

The infirmary door opened. Owen sat on the floor near Jack. “I need a beer. Or at least a place to sleep that actually has a bed.”

“Is Ken sleeping in the nursery?” 

“With Gwen sleeping on the floor next to Trefor’s bed.”

John groaned and set his head back again. “Gwen’s in the nursery, Mrs. Purcell and the girls are in the alchemy lab, you and Ianto are in his office?”

“I’m in the infirmary.”

“Dmitri’s sleeping on the mat in your office?”

“Not tonight,” Owen answered instead of Jack. “He’s on the Harries’ sofa.”

“The office will work, if I can get there,” John concluded.

“No,” Owen said. “You’re going back to the infirmary.”

Jack stood. “I need to get to the facility. The general is impersonating me.”

“I don’t want to know.”

“Jack, make sure someone tells the kids Anwen and I are all right. They know something happened.”

 

Dmitri Petrescu sat at the kitchen table and reviewed information on local nursing homes. Peter Harries had unrealistic expectations. Dmitri had no idea how Peter managed as long as he did. If Mrs. Harries was physically able, they could manage with assistance in their home or a senior community. Mr. Harries couldn’t take care of himself nevertheless his wife. It made for a long night. 

Having come from 1948, he understood the male-dominant mindset of some older people. He suspected Mr. Harries attitude had more to do with the dementia than socialization. From what he read, it wasn’t unusual for patients with certain conditions that affected the mind to have behavioral changes. 

A key turned in the front door lock distracting him from his reading. His first thought was an odd timed visit from the sister in Edinburgh. Then the alchemy device on his wrist indicated. It was possible the locals involved with the production knew Peter had been taken in by Torchwood. After everything, attacking defenseless seniors in their sleep shouldn’t surprise Dmitri.

Dmitri stood to one side of the kitchen doorway to view the front. He had his mobile in hand before realizing the alchemy device on his wrist wasn’t indicating. The door opened and a woman he recognized from CCTV footage entered. Connie Ryan looked exhausted. 

“Torchwood.” Dmitri stepped into the main room with his hands in front of him. 

“Why are you here?” Connie asked.

“Peter’s at the office answering questions. Mr. and Mrs. Harries needed someone to sit with them.”

She rubbed her face. “Torchwood disrupted a major investigation.”

“I don’t know what you’re investigating. But we’re dealing with a bioweapon and sick kids. Any information you’re withholding is going to get more people killed.”

“It’s not that simple. With Captain Harkness publicly throwing his weight around, he inadvertently created an opportunity to quietly investigate problems that are difficult to assess. I can’t do anything about bioweapons or curing sick kids. I can clean up what doesn’t fall under Torchwood’s jurisdiction or media requirements.”

Dmitri took a moment to compose his thoughts. “Most of what Torchwood does is a secret stashed in a vault somewhere that no one will ever see. People sign on for this job with the understanding that it will get you killed. There are no retirement benefits because no one lives that long. There are no awards ceremonies. Most agents would never be recognized by the media. Those that have families lie continuously. When we die, and it’s usually horrible, our families are told it was an accident or suicide. There are no hero funerals. We fade into one of the vaults as if we never existed.”

 

** (Former Moss-Probert Research facility) **

Jack Harkness used a portal device to maintain the charade. He met with the general in a small office with tightly drawn windows and no security system. In some ways, it was like looking at a younger version of himself. The future version of Aman told him that the general was more soldier and less rogue. It fit.

Miriam slipped through the door and closed it behind her. “The Refuge is sending Dr. Nelson to assist. We have questions about the doctors intentions. One of the immediate concerns is how they knew about Teleri Voyles. While it’s possible the adults from the cult provided enough information to figure it out, it doesn’t fit with what we know. It suggests UNIT or London has detailed information about the research.”

Jack nodded. “It’s possible the corporation that started this is not involved locally. Someone with access may have stolen the research.” Peter’s information fit except for the local children’s connection to the alien. There were to many unknowns to guess. They needed to find Leith Evanson and his associate Deidre.

“One of our people wonders if the hive mind is a way to gain the alien’s compliance.”

If that was the case, the people holding the alien captive had no idea she could create drones. Having access to Anwen or John contributed to Werner Heartfield’s death, and the situation with Lindon, but it didn’t explain how the alien managed it.

“We need to compare notes at some point.” Jack looked at the general. “Have the Atmore people been relocated yet?”

“No. That was scheduled for this afternoon.”

“Have Liam send Ianto an update when it’s settled.”

The general hesitated. “He’s relocating to Nova Scotia.”

“He can work with Kailen then.” Jack’s first thought was Liam’s grandmother, but the general tensed at Liam’s name suggesting a personal problem. The relationship must have ended.


	20. Chapter 20

** Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

Eryn Sylla waited with three spiral notebooks and wondered how they were working three more people into the strange family unit they created. She’d written welcome notes to Hana, Matthew and Liam. Eryn remembered her first days in Nova Scotia and wanted to make sure Hana could write down anything she was to embarrassed to ask for. Idrissa sent a reminder that she came from Saudi Arabia originally and had clothing and religious requirements. Liam was transferring from Dublin. There was a message from Nessa that he needed Skype access to stay in contact with Jeannette. It sounded like Nessa was concerned about her sister losing a friend. Eryn wished the reason for the transfer had been provided. Matthew, like Hana, had gone from Atmore to Nigeria. The one advantage he had was he came from Canada.

“Welcome.” Eryn smiled and motioned them in. “The situation in Cardiff has gotten worse. As soon as you’re up for helping, we have work.” She’d written their names on the notebooks and handed them out. “Payroll will take a few days. It would be better to get used to being here before exploring Truro. If you need anything, and you’re not comfortable asking, please write it down.” She gave them a moment. “We have boxes of basics waiting on your beds. Everyone has a private bedroom and a small bathroom.”

“Can we go outside?” Hana asked quietly.

“Yes. There is a nice park nearby. While it shouldn’t be a problem walking alone, I recommend you take someone with you.” 

Hana nodded keeping her eyes on the floor.

“What time is it?” Matt asked.

Eryn checked her mobile. “3:08 PM. FYI we’re in the northern hemisphere, so it’s wintertime and cold. It will be dark by 5 PM.”

Matt smiled. “I’m from Ontario.”

“I don’t have the right clothes,” Hana said.

Eryn would have offered her a coat and pants except it wouldn’t fit. “Write down your sizes. Aman can take me to the store when we have a moment.” A thought occurred to her. “If you don’t know your sizes, we can figure it out.”

Hana nodded. 

“The rooms are this way.” Eryn led down the hall. “Meals don’t have set times. Cooking and other chores are based on a schedule unless there’s a problem and than it’s whoever has the time.”

“What’s happening in Cardiff?” Matt asked.

“The short version is medical experimentation on children.” Her father for all his sins wouldn’t have done that. “What’s your skill set? Idrissa didn’t mention it.”

“Cultural anthropology.”

Eryn felt foolish. “What is that?” 

“It’s one of the four branches of anthropology. Cultural, biological, archeology and linguistics. During an excavation, for example, a biological anthropologist would be interested in bones. An archaeologist would be interested in artifacts. A linguist would study anything that might be language. A cultural anthropologist is interested in the people rather than bones and what the artifacts and language say about the people who created them.”

Eryn wondered. “Have you ever applied that in the field for an unknown culture?”

“Not completely unknown. Why?”

“We have an alien in captivity we need to find who’s provided information. How is complicated. It would help if someone could review the alien’s actions.”

“I could try.” Matt sounded hesitant. “How alien?”

“She’s a large sea creature.”

“Uh.”

“Yeah.” Eryn couldn’t blame him. It sounded insane. “No one is going to ask for miracles.”

“He could help Trefor track Gordon-Glen,” Liam said. “Ianto and Rhys have tried tracking unique supplies. Dublin tried tracking people with the right skill set. An understanding of how people think might help.”

“Did you check for countries where their primary research would be legal?” Eryn asked.

“Yeah. We don’t think they operate under the name Gordon-Glen. That was one corporation associated with Cattrel. After the dragon attack, and the publicized alien slavery, they needed to distance themselves.”

“Dragons?” Matt asked.

“A brown iguana with wings the size of a car attacked a company in Cardiff to free captive young,” Liam added. “A lot of weird things happen in Cardiff.”

 

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

The information Malcolm Dove received about their latest guest was minimal and left him wondering how to pronounce her name. Molly laughed and looked it up online. Xiu was pronounced “sh ee uu.” He’d never met someone from Hong Kong before and would need to hear her say it a few times. 

Xiu entered carrying a big backpack that made her look smaller and younger than nineteen. She smiled, eying the walls and ceiling. “This is really an alien structure.” The enthusiasm was contagious. 

Malcolm smiled. “Yeah.”

“What do you know about them?”

He hadn’t expected that. “Not much.”

“Why did the aliens build it?”

“We don’t know.” He followed her down the hallway. 

She stopped and looked at him. “How long have you lived here?”

“Months. You’re interested in aliens?”

“No.” Xiu laughed. “Engineering.”

“Is that why you chose Dublin?” Malcolm wondered.

“No. Ireland sounded more interesting than Canada. Music, clubs, clothes.”

“Nessa can help you figure that out.” Malcolm hoped Xiu and Jeannette had the same interests. With Liam gone, his sister would be lonely.

Xiu nodded. “Cool. I’ve been making a list. Mr. Williams said things are a lot different than 1989. I can read, listen to, and wear whatever I want.”

Malcolm had to ask. “List of what?”

“Hair extensions, cat ears, jewelry, bohemian clothes.” She grinned. “It’s a long list.”

He had no idea what to say to that. “I need to give you the tour and ask if you’re up for helping with the problem in Cardiff.”

“Business first. What’s the problem?”

While Malcolm tried to think where to start, an idea came to him. “How much do you know about engineering?”

She held out her hands palms up. “My dad was an engineering professor.”

“We’re trying to track a company that’s holding a large, aquatic alien captive. We found one of the aquariums they used. Maybe you’d see something we haven’t thought of yet.”

“How large a creature?”

“We’re not sure.”

“The aquarium might tell you how much space the creature needs or how much space they think it needs. Zoos with killer whales use tiny tanks. Animal rights groups have detailed how horrible it must be for the animals.” She paused to think. “How are they transporting the creature?”

“We don’t know.”

“That’s how you find them. Even sedated, the alien would have to be submerged in a larger transport with environmental controls.”

“How do you know that?” Malcolm wondered.

“I was interested in freedom and democracy before Atmore and  Back to the Future . I read about activism in Nigeria. Environmentalists and animal rights people have a lot of sites.”

“You need to be careful. There are a lot of extremists.”

Xiu nodded. “I know the price of believing in something enough to make a stand.”

 

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

Jeannette Dove stretched out on her bed and connected to Skype. She knew Liam would be busy soon and wanted to check on him. Neither him nor Nessa would explain what happened. Jeannette assumed it had something to do with Trefor. The call connected quickly. Liam appeared on the small screen of her laptop looking tired.

“How’s Canada?”

“Different.”

“It’ll take time.” She hoped he’d change his mind and come home.

“I don’t have much time. I need to meet the new team.”

Moving from Wales to Ireland had been an experience for her. His circumstances were different at least. “I have an idea for your search.”

Liam nodded. “We need new ideas.”

“Pending Gordon-Glen actually has a working treatment they’d be treating people. It’s worth a lot.”

“Yeah.”

“People with money are often chased by the media. Blogs and tabloids allow the world to stalk them by proxy. If a really wealthy celebrity is sick, the details will go viral. Those are Gordon-Glen’s potential customers. If one of them suddenly recovers, leaves treatment early or whatever, the media will jump on it. The same as drug and alcohol rehab. They’re going to be careful. But the paparazzi are determined.”

“If we found one customer, we could track the corporation.”

“Yep.”


	21. Chapter 21

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

John Hart rested on the large bed in the nursery with Ken curled up next to him. When they were first together John said there were secrets he couldn’t share. He couldn’t have envisioned then the events that followed. Sooner or later, he’d have to explain Anwen, time travel and where he came from. The relationship he’d previously had with Jack was impossible to hide. What concerned John more was his first visits to Cardiff. Ken was in Cardiff during the explosions and the damage to the nuclear plant. 

With Dr. Harper back, past sins were more complicated. When John’s thoughts cleared after the coma, he realized why Harper’s name sounded familiar. No matter how he excused his actions he caused the doctor’s death in this time or universe. Making it worse, Gray fatally shot Toshiko Sato. From what his Anwen gathered from her mother and Jack from Torchwood stories over the years, Harper and Sato would have figured out their connection had they lived. Dr. Harper might overlook how the other version of himself died. Sato’s death was another story. 

“What’s wrong?” Ken shifted, resting a hand on John’s shoulder.

John set a hand over Ken’s. “Counting my sins.”

“I’ve been lying to my mother. She found out about the attack at the Disney store and that I don’t work there anymore.”

“Different class of sins.” 

Ken hesitated. “Why did you give Anwen your necklace?”

John wondered how Ken found out. “When I left to handle a situation in Nova Scotia, I let her have it until I got back. She kept it.”

“Anwen was the reason I was transferred from the hospital to Torchwood after what happened to Marvyn Tew at the mall.” Ken paused. “My first thought was she’s your daughter. I had a lot of time to think while you were in the coma. Little things. There is no place on Earth you could be that Torchwood couldn’t reach you. Anwen’s crush is a lot more complicated than it should be. The band on her wrist, when it doesn’t look like a watch, is exactly the same as yours.” Pause. “You’re not from this time. You’re here to protect her and she knows it.”

“I met Anwen in 2042. Two years later, I almost died. She’s the reason I’m clean and sober. We were together for five years. She died saving the planet.”

Ken took a moment. “Where are you from? Or when?”

“The distant future. I was a Time Agent before the agency disbanded. It’s hard to explain.”

“That’s how you know Jack.” Ken shook his head slightly. “The men who attacked the store, and Robert, are from the future?”

“Robert is complicated. The men were enemies from another time or place. I have a lot.”

“Were you a mercenary?”

“Yeah.”

 

Ianto Jones yawned. It had been a long day and was far from over. Jack sent a list of names from the facility. When he made arrangements with London and UNIT for doctors and scientists they didn’t run backgrounds on them. Even if they had, Ianto doubted they could have predicted what happened. Although past experience with London and UNIT said there could be problems. 

He remembered the days leading up to the 456 clearly. Gwen giving herself an ultrasound to confirm her pregnancy led to Jack discovering he had a bomb inside of him. The government decided to kill them instead of allowing Torchwood to handle the alien extortion. 

The question was what they were guilty of this time. 

Mrs. Sealy, a Cardiff social worker, had a questionable history. She’d been cited more than once for judgment issues and failing to remove children from dangerous situations. After a judge determined she was more likely to remove children from poor families than financially secure families, her case load was transferred. There was no explanation for how she still had a job.

Dr. Kambria Cultrice worked in London as an epidemiologist, but was listed as an internal medicine specialist in the paperwork provided to Rhys. Her Oxford credentials were impressive. A quick Interpol check showed that she’d previously volunteered with international aid organizations like Doctors Without Borders and been barred from countries. Notes indicated she was more interested in researching disease progression than treating patients.

Dr. Delman and Dr. Trowell came from UNIT. Their background information was obviously fake. Neither Europol nor Interpol had information on either. Ianto considered running facial recognition but didn’t want to attract UNIT’s attention.

Dr. Leanne Grant was provided by London as an independent expert. A quick search showed she worked for Peregrine James research facility in Sheffield. The location sounded familiar. Ianto did a quick Torchwood search. Dr. Palfreyman worked at the same facility several years prior to her Liverpool employment.

A former PJ employee named Gaspard Mery, a toxicologist, worked in Montpelier, France and died in a severe car accident. According to the general’s research on the area, there were unexplained deaths around the same time Mery worked in Montpelier. The toxicologist’s body was reportedly burned beyond recognition and was identified by an ankle pin.

Ianto tapped his ear com. “Gwen.”

“Yeah.”

“Have you seen the general’s files on the Montpelier cases?”

“Not completely.”

“I have a possible lead. We need police reports and autopsy files from Montpelier. I’ll send you the information.”

“How important?” Gwen sounded hesitant. He couldn’t blame her. Anwen had been in a coma for several days.

“He was a toxicologist with pharmaceutical research experience. According to a former employer, he evaluated chemical properties of plants and other natural sources for use in medical treatments.”

“Fish?”

“It doesn’t specify. Natural dreamfish contamination, however, is believed to be a result of algae or other plants.”

“Do you mind watching Trefor while I make calls?”

“No.” Ianto welcomed the company.

 

Anwen Williams swung her legs over the side of the infirmary cot after her mum left. With her friends in the hub, she had the opportunity to show them the part of her life she’d been unable to talk about. The monitor next to her had continual scan readings. After the experiences with the Rift she had looked at her scans enough to know something changed. She needed solid proof for her mum to agree to her joining Wynne and Teleri. She could just leave, but it would cause an argument.

“What are you doing?” Dr. Harper demanded.

“Asking Three to send you back to wherever it found you.” She’d heard enough Dr. Harper stories to know he was a genius and an arse. But he was the reason she was still alive. 

“Set it down.” He crossed the room.

Anwen flipped open her wrist-strap. “Computer, run comparison between Anwen Williams’ current medical scan and previous medical scans.”

Unfortunately, the notable differences contradict what she wanted. The antibodies repaired the changes or damage caused by using the Rift. Which could make it safer. Or she’d have to repeat the process again the next an alien tried to force it’s way through. The general might know. His older sister had survived to forty or more with the ability.

“You know how it works.” He sounded resigned rather than surprised.

“Yeah. Are you using the tablet on the counter next to the nanogene station?”

“No.”

Anwen held her hand back and telekinetically moved the small computer. 

“You need to rest.”

“I slept for days.” Which reminded her she needed to check on the kids. “Will the antibody treatment work on the others?”

Dr. Harper hesitated. “I don’t know.”

You should rest . John’s voice was reassuring. The connection hadn’t been broken.

Are you resting?

Yeah .

The computer chimed. Anwen checked the new readings.  You need to come back to the infirmary. If I understand my brain scans, I’m still connected to the hive mind.

Give me a few minutes.

As she waited, she remembered their brief stay at Torchwood Four. The alien space station could link to a person with a strong enough Rift ability.  If I’m connected to the hive mind, and distance doesn’t lessen the connection, I could go to Dublin and connect the station to the hive mind. Four could possibly tell us where the alien is.

 

** Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

Liam Doughtery sat in the break room with Matt, trying to concentrate. Having just left a bad relationship with coworkers, he shouldn’t have noticed Matt at all. Stress, attraction and guilt were a bad combination. The fact that Trefor wouldn’t care somehow made it worse. 

“Are you all right?” Matt asked.

“I just need time to myself. I walked out on someone I really care about.”

“Why did you leave her?”

Liam looked up from the laptop Eryn gave him. “Really?”

“You mentioned Jeannette earlier.”

“She’s a kid.” He felt guilty about leaving Jeannette. She’d been through a lot. After the abduction attempt, they bonded.

Matt nodded. Liam suspected he already knew that. “Which one of us are you expecting to misbehave?” 

“You’re gorgeous,” Liam said sarcastically. “I can’t resist throwing myself at you.” He turned back to the computer. The exasperation helped some.

If he was in Dublin, Jeannette would be helping with the site review. He understood social media. Celebrity gossip didn’t interest him. Wading through ridiculous articles about who was shagging who didn’t help.

“What are you looking for? There isn’t enough information about the alien to determine anything we don’t already know.”

“Articles about rich people who had miraculous recoveries from serious health problems,” Liam explained.

“That I can help with. I researched changes in Canada while I was in Nigeria. One of my favorite musicians recently had a cancer scare.” Matt quickly searched using his tablet. “A representative said he’d been misdiagnosed. Someone leaked test results showing he had cancer.” He held out the tablet. “There.”

Their hands brushed. The sensation annoyed Liam. “Thanks.”


	22. Chapter 22

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

Nessa Dove listened to her brother’s description of the new girl and did her best to keep a straight face. If Idrissa provided specifics, she would have met with Xiu instead of Malcolm. It also gave her an excuse to plan another girls’ outing. From what she knew of the Nigeria facility, Xiu needed everything.

She stepped into Trefor’s office and he was on Skype with Nova Scotia. It sounded like they made some type of breakthrough tracking Gordon-Glen. “Trefor.”

“Hold on.” He looked up from the laptop. 

Nessa than realized she had no idea how to pronounce Xiu. “The new girl is interested in engineering.” She repeated what Malcolm told her about the creature needing special transportation. “Rhys is the logistics expert?”

“Yeah. Will you call him?” He motioned at the screen. 

She grabbed a laptop and extra headset from the shelves across from the desk. “Say hi to Liam for me.”

He didn’t have to say it. She could see the regret in his eyes. “Yeah.”

Unsure what to say, Nessa headed down the hall to an empty room. Hurting Liam was her fault. She should have known he couldn’t handle it. Pushing Trefor and Liam together quickly solved a conflict and was easier for her. She needed to give Liam time and then apologize. They’d chased him from his home.

Nessa sat behind an empty desk and took a moment to compose herself as the computer booted. Finding the alien and stopping the corporation from abusing more children was the priority. She would have time later to deal with her regrets. When the desktop completed loading, she plugged in the headset and clicked on Skype. Logging in and sending Rhys a message didn’t take long.

The wait gave her time to think. With Liam in Nova Scotia, her and Malcolm would need to spend more time with Jeannette. The change would disrupt her progress. Her sister might even blame them for Liam leaving and act out again. Being a teenager was hard enough without the added complications of a Rift ability and being home-schooled because of insecurity and fear.

The program’s ring tone was a welcome distraction from her guilt. She clicked to receive the call. 

“Good morning.” Rhys tried to smile, but with the night he had she couldn’t expect more than an oblong attempt. 

“Morning. Our newest team member had a solid idea.” Nessa typed the girl’s name. “I sadly don’t know how to pronounce that yet.”

“Xiu will have to say it a few times.” Rhys typed ‘she ee uu.’ 

Nessa explained about the transportation problem.

“I hadn’t thought of that. We looked for specialized equipment but not transportation.”

“I didn’t think to ask how she knew that.”

Rhys paused to talk to someone in the background. “Xiu is a save-the-whales type. She’s probably been researching it online.”

“Idrissa didn’t provide details.”

“Xiu is traumatized. Atmore grabbed her moments before dying.” Rhys looked apologetic. “I don’t know what happened. Matt might.”

“I’ll talk to her.”

“Thank you.”

 

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

John Hart entered the infirmary. He’d spent too much time in the large room already, and had hoped to avoid it. Anwen was still reviewing her medical scans facing away from the door. Dr. Harper sat the desk he’d set up in an empty corner. 

It’s a good idea. 

John crossed his arms.  It’s dangerous .

She replaced the monitor on the bedside table and swung her legs over the cot to face him.  Do you have a better idea?

“That’s creepy,” Dr. Harper commented, glaring across the room.

Anwen laughed.  He has no idea. “I’m contacting Four.”

“You can’t handle the connection,” John argued. The last time she went to Dublin her thoughts were scrambled to the point she threatened to kill him. 

“We need to find the alien.”

Harper stood. “Explain this.”

“Computer, open com to Four.” The computer chimed. “Four, are you aware of the hive mind and the alien situation?”

“Yes,” the facility replied.

“I’m still part of the hive mind. If you connected with me, like you did before, would you be able to find the alien?”

“Possibly.”

“Could you connect through me?” John countered.

“No.”

Anwen set the tablet aside. “What do I need to do?”

She disappeared as the computer sounded the com. 

John flipped open his wrist-strap. “Jack Harkness.”

“What?”

“Contact the general. Four just transferred Anwen to Dublin.” John quickly summarized.

 

** Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

Aman Oliveira rested his crossed arms on Kailen’s shoulders. It had been another crazy day. The new people would take some getting used to. Hana was brilliant but shy. Even with the musician discovery, Aman didn’t think much of Liam or Matt. They didn’t need an office manager. Cultural anthropology sounded great for researching tribes and history. Neither mattered.

“Find anything?”

“A private island in the Caribbean catering to an exclusive clientele. It’s website describing a rehabilitation center offering a combination of homeopathic and traditional medicines.” Kailen motioned at the screen. “I’d suspect plastic surgery and black market organs from the information available and rumors.”

“But?”

“I checked the area with Hana’s ideas for tracking people in mind.” Kailen motioned at another screen. “Six months before the facility opened, there was an earthquake near a mainland orphanage. Twenty children were reportedly killed. More than one international aid organization questioned why the bodies weren’t recovered.”

Aman kissed the top of Kailen’s head. “We need to check the facility with drones after dark.”

 

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

General Trefor Williams went looking for Nessa after the conversation with Kailen. He found her sitting in an unused office with her arms crossed on the desk and her head down. They hadn’t talked about Liam leaving. Or what happened that led up to it. The general crossed the room.

When he and Nessa met, it was incredible for both of them. They’d both been misunderstood. Their common views on sex and open relationships solved many of their problems. But it led to assumptions. Liam knew before climbing into bed with them, but his open-mindedness had limits. The general knew he should had said more when Liam asked if he was being kicked out of bed. 

“Liam’s all right.” The general ran a hand lightly over Nessa’s back. 

“We hurt him.” She paused. “Liam said you’d never look at him the way you look at me.”

Having a relationship with two people was complicated enough. Adding another person made it harder. “He’ll be okay.”

“I should have known he couldn’t handle it.”

The general crouched beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “We will be more careful.”

The alarm sounded before Nessa could respond. 

“Four.” The general stood. “Identify emergency.” 

The intercom clicked on. “General Williams to the infirmary,” Malcolm said. 

“Go.” Nessa looked up at him.

The general jogged. His wrist-strap chimed as the door slid open, and his first thought was Anwen. Except she was laying unconscious in the infirmary. 

He flipped it open. “Hey.”

“Is Anwen all right?”

 

** Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

Luc Sarkisian reviewed the scan readings from the drones. There were similarities between the island and the cult facility in Cardiff. What concerned him were the two buildings resistant to scans. That suggested alien technology or alchemy. There were problems with scan readings at the London sleep center, the location the general requested destroyed in Dublin, the facility in Manchester and Noble Industries. 

The door opened while he was comparing readings. Eryn’s familiar footsteps were comforting. “There is nothing in your mother’s files about that island. She did find dragon eggs in the British Virgin Islands, but the discovery is the only reason she gave for being there.”

That was something at least. “Before we contact Captain Harkness, I want something to give him.”

Eryn pulled up a chair next to him. “What are you looking for?”

“I don’t know. Proof.” Luc held out his hands. 

“Kailen found the possibility of twenty missing children.”

“Yeah.”

“Is there any indication the facility has children legitimately? Do they treat kids? Do they offer family housing for employees or patients?”

“No.”

“Any indication there are children on-site?”

Luc leaned over and kissed her. “One of the buildings has a playground.”

“I should ask Kailen to start looking for reports of child death where bodies weren’t recovered.”

“The facility couldn’t chose children at random.”

Eryn paused. “You said that a certain percentage of the population is immune from any disease. If the immunity is similar to sickle-cell anemia, which badly protects against Malaria, the researchers would be able to easily identify it.”

“That applies to diseases naturally found on Earth.”

“We don’t know where the creature comes from. Three has a pterodactyl. The creature could be primitive. Or from a very different version of Earth and based on a creature that once lived here.” 

Luc reached for her hand. After everything, that sounded insane, but was a reasonable possibility. “Ask Matt if there is anything about the people of the orphanage area that might help. Give him access to the library. He should know how to research it.”


	23. Chapter 23

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Jack Harkness had Ianto arrange the conference while he prepared to leave the former MP facility. With Bobby Zhao in charge, Jack expected few problems and none the Ferryman couldn’t handle. The offending London and UNIT personnel had been returned to their agencies. The government wasn’t happy, but Dr. Trowell’s death was solid proof the attempted abduction and biological theft was a bad idea. That ended the argument for the moment.

The conference room was full when he arrived. Dmitri had Michael in the sling and a diaper bag hanging off the back of his chair. Owen sat next to him with three tablets in front of him looking annoyed. Gwen sat between him and the head of the table with a resigned expression and her eyes on the table. Ianto settled into a chair across from Gwen after passing out coffee mugs. John stood in the corner near the door. Their eyes met briefly and he moved toward an empty chair next to Ianto.

Jack shrugged his coat off, handed it to Ianto and sat. 

“Dublin, Nova Scotia and Nigeria are on the call.”

Jack wondered why Idrissa was involved. “General, do you have an update?”

“We have a probable location on the alien,” the general replied over the conference call. “There is a research facility on an island off the coast of Greenland. Officially, it’s a marine biology center.”

“What do you need for confirmation?” 

“More information. A drone launched from Dublin is showing indications of alien technology. I will need to assess it on-site.”

“Be careful.” Jack paused. “Nova Scotia, what do you have on the Caribbean island?”

“A lot of questions, Captain Harkness.” Eryn explained about the possible missing kids, the playground and various social media and gossip magazine connections. “There are areas we can’t scan. We haven’t seen an example of scan distortion that wasn’t caused by alchemy or alien technology.”

“I will review that on-site.” Jack reached over and set a hand on Ianto’s. “Idrissa, what do you have for us?”

“I’ve been checking dates in storage. This office did not close when the Nigerians gained control of Nigeria. The last person maintaining it must have left before me and my Aman arrived to establish the Fellowship. During that time, he oversaw storage and the community.”

That could mean any number of things. “Do we know anything about the people who ran the office before the Fellowship?”

“The files suggest they were local. The cultural view of Nigerians and Africans in earlier files was consistent with the time.” Idrissa sounded like he was trying to find the right words. “The artifact notes after 1960 show a very different opinion of Africa.”

“Please send a report.”

“The alien you’re looking for was found in Africa. While looking for more information, I discovered an inaccessible computer system and storage area.”

“I will review it after I check the medical facility.”

“Thank you.”

When no one had anything else to add, the call ended. Jack looked around the table at his own team. Gwen was worried about Anwen. Four had already sent her back without any obvious complications. Owen didn’t argue when she refused to return to the infirmary. He had questions and would ask sooner or later.

“Jack,” Dmitri said, “We need a long-term plan. Oldaria’s warehouse has an unknown number of women and girls hiding from Gordon-Glen or that cult. Whether or not the children at the facility will need long-term observation or care depends if they can be successfully treated. Teleri will have a target on her back for the rest of her life and will need to be monitored.” They would likely have more victims identified went unsaid.

“What do you have in mind?”

“I would like to transfer to the facility. My medical knowledge and skills are outdated. Managing care and social service programs doesn’t require a solid understanding of current medicine. Where I grew up, and what I did to survive, is everything I need to know to understand the homeless, and desperate.”

“Ianto and Ken will need time to rework Michael’s schedule.” Jack took a moment. “Owen, the antibodies are your primary task.”

“I need more blood from John.”

“Not a problem,” John replied.

“Gwen, coordinate with Rhys, Nessa and Eryn. We need to find Gordon-Glen.”

“Ianto, John, I need you to stay. Gwen, Owen and Dmitri, I will talk to you later.” Jack waited while they left. “I need one of you to talk to Anwen. She can’t do this again.” Gwen tried talking to her and that resulted in an argument. 

“She might listen to Ianto. I tried to talk her out of it.” John hesitated. “Anwen expects me to go with whatever she decides.”

Jack nodded. “With Anwen joining the girls, it will be to much for Mrs. Purcell.”

John stood. “Ken won’t mind if we help out.” He left.

“I can try.” Ianto lacked confidence. “Anwen wants to be the woman in John’s memories and not a child. She’s a lot like Gwen. She wants to save people even if it means her own safety.”

 

** North Atlantic Marine Center; (private island,) Greenland **

General Trefor Williams arrived on the cold, rocky island thankful Nessa insisted on full protective gear. The wind whipped around the buildings and the powder snow was kicked up by the wind. Drifts climbed one wall nearly to the reinforced windows.

He used a hand-held device that worked with his wrist-strap. It was to dark and cold to assess information on the island. He would need to take scans and return to Dublin to review the information. His immediate opinion, as he trudged through snow, was it was a bad location to accomplish anything in January.

With the weather and the darkness, he wasn’t sure he was headed the right direction until he heard the hum. The generator was unmistakable. Between the sound and the location, he could only imagine a geothermal plant. Drilling was time consuming and expensive. It wasn’t a low-budget ocean research facility.

Then the general heard movement. “There is no one out here,” a deep, male voice said. “I don’t care about the sensors. Nothing docked or landed. There is no one here.”

He quickly did a few more scans and portaled back to Dublin.

 

** Revitalization Health Center; (private island,) Caribbean **

Jack Harkness opted for an area near the playground. A nearby walking path dimly illuminated the area. The cheerful, well-maintained made him wonder. It was something he’d expect to see at an exclusive resort for paying guests. It was an odd consideration, if they were using the children as antibody factories. 

He headed for the building. The expensive play equipment could be for show. They didn’t have enough information. Scans of the children would be a solid determination. If the kids had been exposed, the facility was associated with Gordon-Glen’s research. 

Assuming the first floor had alarms, he looked for alternatives. A second story balcony had French doors. It didn’t take much to climb the side of the building. He pulled himself over the railing. The lock was simple and he quickly picked it. 

The classroom, like the park, was unexpected. It reminded him of Trefor’s previous daycare. The toys were name brand and expenses. Similar to Rhiannon’s daycare, there were childish drawings on the walls. A stain under a paint easel said it was definitely used. 

He scanned the building. Readings in one section were comparable to the ectogenesis pods Dr. Floyd discovered. That had potential for additional horrors. It was probably easier to clone children with Teleri’s immunity than finding more of them.

Two doors down from the daycare, he found a lab. After determining it would likely set off an alarm, he continued down the hall. There were classrooms and one with small pets. Under a stairs sign said dormitories. That sounded promising and he headed upstairs. 

Jack knew at some point they would figure out he was there, if they hadn’t already. He hurried upstairs. The dorms were easy enough to find. Lamented print outs of the kids names were taped to doors. Using a hand-held medical scanner, he evaluated the first room of kids. All eight were exposed. 

An alarm sounded as he turned back toward the door. He had proof of experimentation. He wanted to determine whether or not the facility was cloning and/or using artificial gestation equipment. Instead, he portaled back to Cardiff.


	24. Chapter 24

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

General Trefor Williams returned to his office after replacing the cold weather gear in storage. Nessa said nothing as she sat across his lap and set her head on his shoulder. He set his cheek against the top of her head and reviewed the scan readings he’d transferred to a tablet. The geothermal plant was problematic. He’d seen one like it before and it powered impressive weapons. They needed better technology to siege the facility. Even with Keara’s spaceship, it would be problematic.

There was a definite problem with technology. The Kearas were not the only ones affecting time. Aliens were the most likely suspect. The Torchwood he came from hadn’t been able to determine what most of the aliens’ intended. The planet had to have some type of value to attract their interest. He was unaware of any alien taking resources. The possibility it was strategic had been discussed. Liberty, the alien impostor at Moss-Probert, was somehow involved with the clockwork god in Liverpool. That would have destroyed the planet and possible the solar system under different circumstances.

He had no idea what any alien would benefit participating in the antibody research unless it did something they were unaware of which was entirely possible. It was hard to picture how accidental exposure to the alien led to the discovery of the healing properties. He’d read articles saying mustard gas led to the discovery of chemotherapy. But he agreed the bioweapon and the dreamfish delivery system was overly complicated and there were easier ways to kill people. Conventional terrorism methods didn’t need to be replaced with fancy alternatives. 

Unless a child like Teleri was exposed and survived to adulthood with the antibodies. Donating blood could have uncovered it. The odds of that happening were out there. Alien intervention, technology or a psychic were potentially more plausible. Medical experimentation on children was not acceptable in most places. Those willing to do it would need to brought together. 

“What did you find?”

“A very advanced geothermal power plant. It would generate enough power for a facility, complicated environmental system needed for the alien and a very dangerous security system.”

“Who are these people?”

“I don’t know.”

Four broke the silence minutes later. “Incoming conference call.”

“Thanks, Four. Accept.”

“Any luck in Greenland?” Jack asked.

“Yes and no.” The general explained the power plant. “Taking that facility will require a lot of tactical planning and some improvised tech. The Miriam from my time led a ground assault against at least one similar facility. We lost ten to fifteen people.”

“The Caribbean facility is the priority.” Jack explained what he found. “It’ll be more complicated than the cult facility.”

 

** Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

** Monday, January 11, 2021 **

The one advantage to having more people, Eryn Sylla thought, was help with prep work. She stood behind a chair in the break room. Liam eyed the scanning equipment on the table. Matt and Hana looked tired and puzzled at being kept from going to bed. Aman set up a second coffee maker on the counter. 

“I know it’s late. Captain Harkness and General Williams are leading a complex attack on another medical facility holding children at first light. There are multiple targets and an unknown number of people.” Eryn gave them a moment. “We need to check the drones, bots and Luc’s new sentinels. Luc is coordinating with Dublin to produce additional robotics tonight. Aman will be discussing tactics with Luc and whatever is needed. Kailen will pilot the drones and is the only one of us getting sleep tonight.” 

Explaining the equipment took longer than she expected. Hana and Matt viewed their scanners with uncertain expressions. Liam took his, checked it over and was ready to go. 

“We’re doing manual inspections because we might see something the computer doesn’t identified or is overlooked in a quick review of results. Once the device scans, you will select the comparison option. A green icon is good. A red icon is bad; the robot cannot be used. A yellow icon means you probably don’t have the right comparison set. Drones, for example, look very similar. Unless it can transport supplies or remains, the differences are based almost entirely on internal components and programming.”

“Are we reviewing bots capable of throwing pellets or charges?” Liam asked.

“No. Luc will review those himself. The pellet are complicated. The charge designs are faulty.”

Liam nodded. “They’re bombs.”

“You’ve done this before?” Matt asked Liam.

“Somewhat. Trefor, General Williams, prefers to modify his own bots. I helped.” Liam paused. “I can load pellets and change the music.”

Matt looked confused. “Music?”

“Yeah. The person who designed the pellet program chose Drowning Pool’s  Bodies .” Liam shook his head. “It throws stun pellets while playing ‘let the bodies hit the floor.’” 

Hana looked down at her device.

Matt stared for a moment. “That’s disturbed.”

Anwen had a strange sense of humor, Eryn thought. The kid had been through a lot. 

 

Aman Oliveira motioned Eryn aside as they were preparing to head out. She moved over to the counter. He wasn’t sure how to explain it.  “Be careful with Matt, Er.”

“Why?” From Aman tone, Eryn wondered if he expected Matt to hit on her. 

“He has an odd effect on people. Hana is nervous around men, but not Matt. Liam is struggling with walking out on the general and he’s reacting. Kailen commented it’s a form of attraction that only lasts while Matt is in the room. I asked Idrissa, and he feels guilty; he finds Matt attractive.”

“Rift ability?”

“No. I scanned him for Rift energy. It could be similar to the Doves.”

Eryn wondered what Aman was expected. “What are you expecting him to do?”

“I don’t know.”

She set a hand on Aman’s upper arm. “Kailen has not changed his mind.”

“Matt’s affect on Kailen is why he’s not jealous.”

“Have you considered it’s not attraction?” Eryn asked. “He doesn’t affect me.” 

 

Luc Sarkisian reviewed the latest sentinel modifications in the robotics lab. His immediate concern was hacking. With continual use, the targets would attempt to disrupt remote control. Either in defense or to take control of the robots. He needed custom satellites to even attempt to defend against the possibilities. He would have to settle for redundancies and ways to trace hackers, if it happened.

The simulations were running as expected when Aman entered. “The new robot will tear up any surface it moves over.” Luc needed more time to redesign the treads.

“Will it work?” Aman asked.

“Yeah. It’s a miniature tank with a ballistic shield. It will drive over or through anything.” The extra damage would require more clean up work afterward.

Aman nodded. “Eryn is coordinating the manual review.” 

“What’s wrong?” Luc looked over at Aman.

“I don’t know. There is a problem with Matt.”

“Other than Kailen notices him?”

“Yeah.”

“I make him uneasy,” Luc admitted. 

“Were you angry?”

“Yeah.” 

 

Aman Oliveira returned to their room minutes before the alarm would sound. Kailen looked peaceful. Aman hated to wake him. With school starting soon, they should be focused on classes not offering primary support on another Torchwood situation. 

“You need to get up.” Aman sat on the edge of the bed.

Kailen grumbled, sleepily and tried to pull Aman onto the bed with him. 

Aman smiled. “You have drones to fly.”

Kailen groaned. “What time is it?” 

“Early.”

“Shower?” 

“By yourself.”

“That’s not an incentive.” Kailen reluctantly sat up. 

“We can celebrate making history again tonight.”

“That’s better.”

Aman gave Kailen a quick kiss on the lips. “I’ll wait in your lab.”

 

** Revitalization Health Center; (private island,) Caribbean **

It reminded Jack Harkness of the island in Southeast Asia. They had multiple teams with multiple targets. Kailen was using drones to secure the buildings. Luc had robotic ground troops. The general and Miriam divided up the Refuge people. He and two young women who eyed him like an alien life form were tasked with assessing the occupants of the buildings. He would coordinate relocating them to the facility in Cardiff. The general, Miriam, Zhao and other Refuge people would take out any armed resistance. 

Jack wanted to start with the children not just to make sure they were safely transported out, but to determine if there was more ectogenesis equipment. That tied the island and Gordon-Glen to the Pierro group somehow. The London sleep center could be tentatively connected to the British government and Torchwood. It would suggest that Beaupre’s black ops were still active in one form or another.

Status reports started immediately. The buildings were quickly secured with drones and interconnected ballistic shields. Security was stronger than expected. The facility had unexpected weapons.

Unable to relocate the children until after the location was secured, Jack entered the building. The Refuge women followed, but wouldn’t tell him their names. A walk through of the first floor found offices. Returning to the second floor gave him the opportunity to check the lab. The women stood in the hallway while he scanned with his wrist-strap and then looked around. 

“Captain Harkness.” She stood in the doorway next to a five or six-year-old girl.

He walked over to them. “Good morning.”

The girl asked him something in Spanish.

Jack looked at the woman standing behind her. 

She shrugged. 

“How many are awake?”

An explosion rocked the building.

She smiled wryly. “All of them.”

“Incoming hostiles,” the general said over the ear com. 

Another explosion shook the building.

“Air support,” an unfamiliar, female voice announced over the com. “Ships are alien tech hybrid.”

“Get the kids into the hall away from the windows.”

 

General Trefor Williams detonated one of the ships and a haze fell over the open area. A troop carrier HALO released and biomechs were landing. The tech was above anything the time period should have. They were outnumbered and unprepared. If he had standard troops instead of the Refuge and Luc’s robots, they’d already be dead.

The general switched his hand held com to the frequency necessary to contact Nova Scotia through the drones. “Luc, can you portal them out.”

“They’re shielded,” Luc responded after a delay.

“Can you drop energy shields around them?”

“Already tried. Liam is asking if we can use bots modified for charges. Dropping armed bots with ballistic shields on the biomechs should disrupt their personal shields and kill them.”

“Do it.”

The general changed his com back. “Retreat. Get out of range of the biomechs.”

It took several long minutes for Luc to coordinate with Dublin could produce more. Then it started raining exploding maintenance bots. They were portaled in above the biomechs, dropped like rocks and exploded on impact taking out the biomechs around them.

“What the hell is that?” Miriam walked up to him.

The general laughed. “Jury-rigged bombs playing AC/DC.”

Thunderstruck reverberated across the bloody battle field covered in mangled bots and biomechs. The field was nearly clear when a biomech portaled in near them. The general barely knocked Miriam over in time. The detonation blast from his Rift ability sprayed the biomech in a red plume. But not before it fired, striking the general in the side.

“Tref,” Miriam scrambled over to him.

The general fumbled with his com. “Luc, tell Cardiff I’m seriously injured. Have the doctor meet me on the pier with a stretcher.”


	25. Chapter 25

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Jack Harkness knew from experience that military operations were complicated. They moved quickly to secure the children, and were arrogant. Even having seen the aftermath, Jack struggled with the unexpected technology. Luc’s mapping drones had limitations. His robotic satellites project became a priority. He knew everything changed in the twenty-first century, but biomech programs and human experimentation weren’t in his history books. 

Reading reports from Nova Scotia generated more questions than answers. After Keara, presumably from the future of this universe, leveled a nearby island with her spaceship, Luc was able to scan it. Unexpected shielding technology hid the military facility from the mapping drones. An underground installation had cloning technology and produced second generation biomechs. His first thought was left over technology from future Aman except there was no obvious connection.

Jack sighed, he leaned on his elbows and set his forehead against his hands. Miriam lost three people and most participants were injured. The Refuge elders wanted blood. As their psychics failed to predict the outcome, they shouldered the blame for their losses. The question was who could hide weapons programs from Torchwood and The Refuge. 

The technology combination suggested connections to the Pierro group and Moss-Probert, and a network amidst the various corporations. From what he’d personally witnessed dealing people, the depravity was possible. Earth cultures alone had committed atrocities in the name of god and country. The question was why the aliens provided the corporations technology. Even if Torchwood somehow accessed technology and science from the Rift it didn’t explain everything. There was at least one alien working with Moss-Probert, one attacked Nessa and two or three were killed in Dublin. 

The office door opened and Jack looked up as Owen entered. “General Williams is recovering. He will need rest. The partial nanogene station worked. John offered antibodies, if it didn’t.”

“What?”

“I ran DNA and other tests.” Owen hesitated. “There are genetic differences between the general and the baby. Trefor has been genetically altered.” He took a moment. “There are notes that Trefor attended a government daycare. I can only guess he was affected there. Whoever did it would have had access to his unaltered DNA.”

With that DNA, the general could potentially be cloned. “Altered how?”

“I need more time. I can guess the people responsible wanted to prevent Trefor from becoming the general.”

When he first introduced himself, the general mentioned a future cloning project where pilots were targeted. His hybrid DNA made it difficult. That wouldn’t keep someone from trying. “Are the changes a threat to my son?”

“No.”

“Have you entered this into the system?”

“No.”

“I will upload your reports to my private files. Anwen has access to everything. If she finds out, she’ll tell Gwen. I will tell her when we have details.”

Owen stared at the tablet he was carrying. “What’s your relationship with Gwen?”

“We’re friends.” It was one more dark memory rehash. “We were ambushed, drugged and woke up three days later. It’s not something you want to mention to Gwen.”

If Trefor had been altered, it would explain some of the differences. Trefor had nightmares, and empathy, and the general didn’t. The innate tactical skills may have started earlier and were more impressive. It was another question mark. He hoped it was Other Keara and not the government.

 

** The Arctic Observatory; Prince of Wales Island, Nunavut, Canada **

** Tuesday, January 12, 2021 **

Villetta Thirion monitored the situation and wished she could allow Luc access to the satellites. It wouldn’t have prevented what happened but would make it easier to secure his robotics. The biomech facility had the technology to force control under the right circumstances. Which might enable them access to the technology making the situation worse.

An alarm sounded as she headed for her room. With lack of sleep, it took a moment to process. The satellite identified changes at the Alaska base where the woman was arriving. Ettie knew she didn’t have a lot of time to save the woman’s life. She ran back to her lab.

The readings were worse than she expected. There was no time for cryptic messages and shadow games. She contacted her cousin directly.

“Hello?” He sounded like she woke him.

“Luc,” she said carefully, unsure what to say. “The Alaska base readings show a person arrived. I don’t have a lot of details. If you don’t send a maintenance bot with portal device now, she’s not going to make it. It’s January above the Arctic circle. The building is solid, but it has no active heat and was not designed to be occupied in the winter time.”

“Ettie?”

“Yeah. I’m at the Observatory. I don’t have the technology to rescue her myself.” Which would require stealing more of her cousin’s robotic designs.

“Send me details.”

“I can’t. Keara said I could warn you. I can’t help you.”

 

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Owen Harper reached for his mobile. The screen showed a Canadian number. “Hello?”

“Sir, this is Eryn at Nova Scotia,” a young woman said, “You have an emergency patient arriving on the pier by portal device in the next few minutes. She has hypothermia and some type of time distortion sickness. We don’t know where or when she’s from, but she flags a Torchwood file we can’t access.”

“Thanks.” Owen ended the call. “Computer, activate intercom.” It clicked. “Medical emergency from Nova Scotia. Bring a stretcher to the pier.”

Then he ran. The door and the elevator seemed to take forever. He hurried down the hall leading to the fake tourist office and onto the pier. The bot already arrived by the time he hurried onto the slick wood. Even slumped over a maintenance bot, Owen recognized Tosh at a distance. The weather was mild, but breezy, and would worsen her hypothermia.

“Hey,” he said careful as he rushed to her side. 

She looked dazed and weak. “Owen?”

“Yeah.” He carefully lifted her and walked back along the pier. “You’re safe now.”

“The hub was destroyed.”

Jack held the door open. 

Owen turned sideways to carry her through the door. “You’re going to explain this.” His temper flared. He’d worked for Torchwood for a lot of years. What he’d seen and done was more than most could handle. Being shifted between universes by a psychotic Torchwood agent had been unique. But he had limits.

“Other Keara didn’t arrange this,” Jack said as Owen carefully set her on the stretcher. 

Owen checked fingers and her ears. “No frost bite.”

Ianto handed him a thick blanket.

“How aside, why would anyone do this?”

“There is an alien spaceship trapped in an alternative dimension accessible through Antarctica. Whoever wants that ship needed the best scientist they could get. There is alien technology under Noble Industries needed for the research.” Jack sounded uncertain.

“Why would they leave her…” Owen trailed off as he finished tucking the blanket around Tosh.

Jack held out his hands. “They abandoned the project.”

 

Jack Harkness moved to follow Owen and Ianto grabbed his arm. “What?” Jack turned and met his eyes.

“We have a serious security problem. Teleri is a perfect source of antibodies. Owen is probably the only doctor outside the corporations that can understand any of this. Tosh is arguably the best Torchwood scientist in the history of Torchwood. If someone went to the effort of abducting her from another universe, there isn’t anyone close to her capabilities in this universe.”

Jack nodded. The downside to Torchwood’s location being publicly known was it made them a target. Future Aman had already proven that.

“That alien, Oldaria, has a fortress. She likes you and John.”

“You want me to ask for technology.”

“Yep.” Ianto gave it a moment. “Four biomechs breached a lower wall. I electrocuted them and released the Weevils. Four, Jack. It was barely enough. An army of biomechs responded to the attack on that island. The hub wouldn’t withstand that.” 

Jack hugged Ianto. Contacting Oldaria sounded like a solid idea. Jack needed to talk to John and Robert. Although Jack met with her, he had no idea what motivated her. She implied she was a bored rich girl, but he suspected there was a lot more to it. Aliens were complicated. Inter-dimensional aliens were from a different form of reality. 

“We can evacuate them to Atmore, if necessary.”

Ianto hugged him tightly. “We can’t lose them again.”

No, Jack thought, we can’t. His last team leader killed their team and then himself. Jack created his own team and most of them died. “We will figure it out.” 


	26. Chapter 26

** Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

Liam Doughtery drank coffee and tried to focus. He hadn’t been able to sleep until Jeannette spoke to Nessa about Trefor’s injuries. Then he had a nightmare about the island. It made him question leaving. Except nothing had or would change. 

“Good morning,” Matt said. 

Liam nodded. “Are you helping with the Alaska research? Cardiff is handling the Caribbean facility.”

“Yeah. Eryn said something about school.”

“The original team here is attending college. Science, computers.” Liam sipped his coffee.

Matt pour himself a mug. “How will that work?”

“I think Eryn is handing over the day-to-day chores to me. Nothing I didn’t do in Dublin.”

“Where to, boss?”

Liam rolled his eyes. “Luc or Kailen set up a computer room for research.” He led toward the hall.

The new room had multiple work stations against the walls and a conference table with tablet computers in a stack in the middle. Liam claimed the nearest office chair and sat down. 

“This place is dreary. Nigeria has color and local art.”

“The chairs are better than Dublin.” Liam looked around. He needed to paint again. He’d definitely have wall space to hang paintings afterward.

Matt sat across from him. “What are we working on?”

“A woman was rescued from an unused research facility in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. The how is complicated and I have no idea why. It potentially connects to Noble Industries in Cardiff where Torchwood destroyed a number of bioweapon canisters. We need to trace the facility to the corporation or organization responsible.”

“How?”

Liam clicked on his tablet. “Aman and Kailen reviewed the location previously because of some type of odd scan readings. The building belongs to the US government and hasn’t been used in ten or more years. The area is secluded and hard to reach. Accessing the facility to get the woman would require land-based transportation across the border or from an Alaskan town. The ports are inaccessible or only accessible by some type of icebreaker this time of year. With few air strips and communities, it shouldn’t take much to locate any group capable of reaching the facility. In January, the suspects are oil companies and Eskimos.”

Matt grimaced. “Some Native Alaskans find the term ‘Eskimo’ offensive. Tribes around ANWR are Inupiaq and Gwich’in.”

“I didn’t know.”

“Unless something changed, the communities are small. Prudhoe Bay is the only commercial community in the area.” Matt quickly switched a tablet on. “The locals are either tribal or connected to the oil fields.” Matt held up his tablet. “Population around two thousand not counting Prudhoe Bay oil field employees.” 

“It’s probably not an established oil company. What other communities are in the area?”

“I’ll need a map.” Matt quickly found one. “Arctic Village, Kaktovik and Sagwon.”

“Then we need to look for anything unusual. New corporations, odd stories.”

Matt nodded.

Researching the area reminded Liam how little he knew of the world outside of Ireland. Before Torchwood, he was interested in painting and partying. The business degree appeased his family, somewhat, and paid the bills. Regardless of his grandma’s actions or intentions for Christmas, his father thought he was wasting his life not joining the family business. If only he could tell his family he was working for Torchwood and investigating corporations creating bioweapons and experimenting on children.

“There are reports of suspicious talent scouts claiming they were looking for undiscovered artists.”

“Sounds like a sex scam. The guy passes out fake business cards claiming he’s an agent trying to lure the young and stupid into his bed.”

“In Anchorage, maybe. Not Kaktovik. The population is smaller than Prudhoe Bay.”

Liam nodded. He suspected small towns in Anchorage were a lot like Ireland. Everyone knew everybody’s business and scamming young people could result in their da tracking the offender down. “Are they still there?”

“No. They left before their lease ended. It was a former oil company building. They had off-road vehicles.”

“Name?”

“Contemporary Art Galleries, inc.” Matt smiled. “C A G for short.”

Liam eyed Matt a moment. “You’re serious?”

“Yeah.”

“Dumb shite.” The corporation search didn’t take long. “They’re incorporated in Nevada. Do you know how to use Google maps?” When Matt didn’t say otherwise, Liam recited the address. “What does it look like?”

Matt held up an image a couple minutes later. “A small office building.”

“It could be a small business incubator or a physical address for a large number of questionable corporations. US business laws are strange.” Liam entered the address and searched. A lot of different types of businesses, a few looked like obvious charity scams, claimed the same location. 

“Business degree?”

“Yeah. It kept me in paint and canvases.” The university had been some of the worse times of his life. He would never be normal and business classes were filled with normal people.

“I dated a guy who stripped on the weekends to pay his bills while he earned a post-graduate degree.”

Liam knew men and women who did that. He thankfully had never been desperate. “The money’s good.”

“People weren’t that understanding at the time.”

“I can be judgmental, but not about that.” Liam wondered. “Do you have any names for this company? It’s not publicly traded, so I’m not getting any information.”

“Locals in Kaktovik and other areas scanned distributed business cards and posted them on discussion forums.” Matt held out his tablet again. 

Liam wondered if the goal was to look stupid. Anyone investigating CAG would track them to Nevada and an obvious scam. The locals had experience with oil companies. They would be suspicious of strangers with big promises. “We need to figure out what they were actually doing.”

 

** Torchwood Nigeria; Sokoto State, Nigeria **

Walking the gardens was relaxing. Idrissa Oliveira checked the plants and the equipment as he went. A monkey hopped on his shoulder as he walked through the largest garden. He had no idea where the creature came from. One of several recent puzzles in the compound.

He picked a piece of ripe fruit and held it up for the small primate. When Ms. Atmore arrived from the Refuge she could determine it’s requirements. As they were in the middle of a desert, the monkey didn’t invite itself. As he neared the exit, he expected it to return to the trees. It didn’t. 

As he was considering how to encourage it, he felt the room energy change. He turned back and saw an unfamiliar woman walking toward him. Like the creature, he wondered how she arrived. She didn’t set off any of the numerous security alarms.

“Walk with me, Mr. Oliveira.” She sounded British.

The monkey hopped off his shoulder onto a branch and hurried away as she approached.

“Who are you?” Her eyes and voice were familiar somehow.

“That’s complicated. You may call me Keara.”

An older version of Keara Montfert, he thought. “Why are you here?”

She motioned him to follow as she opened the door and stepped into the hallway. Unsure of anything, other than his Aman’s insistence that young Keara was the strongest psychic the Fellowship had, he followed her. She led through the hallways with a certainty that came from experience. 

“There is a disruption in this time line, this universe. Someone accessed it and made changes.”

Idrissa kept pace having no idea what she was talking about.

“The person or people have to know I exist to counter my plans.” She was silent for several minutes. “There are few possibilities. All would need access to Nigeria.”

“We have had no unauthorized access.”

“It allows time travel.”

Prior to finding the younger version of his husband, Idrissa would not have believed time travel was possible. The more time he spent at the compound, the more impossibilities became possible. 

“Has anything unusual happened?”

Idrissa wondered what he definition of unusual was. “The monkey in the garden.”

“Atmore intrusion. Someone is still connected to the facility.”

Idrissa nodded although he did not understand. “Tiarni Atmore arrives today.”

“Be grateful it’s a monkey and not a baby elephant.”

His sisters mentioned Ms. Atmore liked elephants the last time he spoke to them. “Are you responsible for my Aman’s death?”

“Indirectly.” She paused. “I arranged for you to meet him that day in DeWaal.” 

“Why?”

“One problem with the randomness of the natural order is that people we could love and who could love us aren’t always born in the right time. He gave you a purpose and a path and helped teach your sisters they were more than psychotic inconveniences your parents didn’t want.”

“Why did Aman have to die?”

Keara sighed. “He had no idea how to live without a need for revenge and a target for his vengeance.” She led to a seemingly bare wall. It slid open revealing a passage he had been unaware of. 

He followed her down the dusty hallway leading downward. “This facility changed him. If you gave Aman a different goal, he would have walked a different path.”

“No. The version of Aman that you love crossed the line. There was no bringing him back.” She paused for minutes. “Another Aman took over his father’s business and became a warlord. With the world consumed by a conflict it brought on itself, he fought the monsters by becoming something his father would have feared. His people loved him. He scattered parts of his enemies across the entire continent. When his world burned, the amount of blood staining his territory was unimaginable.”

“The boy is redeemable.”

“Yes. With Eryn and Kailen, he will be a very different man.”

Idrissa already knew that. “What are you trying to accomplish?”

“The impossible,” she said sadly, stopping at another door. “I’m trying to save the world from itself.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Keara turned and looked at him. “I loved someone a very long time ago. She believed the world was worth saving. As it burned, she held onto the hope that we could revive the human race with technology. We could have, but she was murdered by ignorant people.” Keara wiped the tears from her eyes. “If it takes me a million years, I will give her a universe that deserves her.”

You are insane, Idrissa thought.


	27. Chapter 27

** Noble Industries; Cardiff, Wales **

** Wednesday, January 13, 2021 **

Jack Harkness drove the Torchwood van plagued by a jumble of emotions and memories of his team before Gray fused a bomb to John’s wrist and declared war on Jack's life. He’d slept for an unimaginable amount of time. What stayed with him as he parked near the ruins of the building was Keara’s approach to reassembling his team. She didn’t prevent what happened. It was as if she needed each of them to learn different lessons.

“Why are we here?” Gwen asked as they stepped into the car park.

“Checking the technology in the basement. For Toshiko’s safety, it needs to be secured.”

Jack flipped open his wrist-strap and scanned the area. Security sensors had been temporarily disrupted, and the new energy readings were problematic. He needed to check, but he suspected everything in the basement had already been removed.

“Explain this, Jack. These people can abduct someone from another universe, but they can’t access Robert’s ship?”

“Crossing universes is difficult.” He walked across the lawn to the crushed building. “Crossing dimensions is…” Jack shook his head. “Alternative dimensions are often perceived as math. We have no frame of reference.”

“Oldaria is inter-dimensional.” Gwen followed. “She looks human.”

“Yes and no. She’s wearing a construct. It allows her to exist in this universe.”

“What is she?” Jack looked up from his wrist-strap. “An energy being or a form of matter that doesn’t exist here.”

Gwen opened her mouth to say something, reconsidered and took a moment. “A nonhumanoid alien?”

Jack laughed. “I doubt her relationship with the other versions of me and John involved sex.”

“She could be an energy being?”

“Yeah.” He wondered at her change of tone.

“Maddox Tray has a symbiont. An energy creature. He needed someone or something to protect him after he’d been exposed. Until his mother was injured, there was no problem.” She took a moment. “Then his grandmother wouldn’t take him, and a string of foster parents that rejected him. They were judgmental people. Laren called Ianto because of strange things. She stayed with Maddox. Even after the Sawyer situation.”

Jack hadn’t thought of that. “Oldaria took in high-risk girls. They had nothing and no one.”

“Another symbiont could protect Teleri.”

“Yeah.” Another thought occurred to him. He quickly found his mobile. “If Oldaria gave Maddox his, she was potentially behind the Forest Farm deaths.”

 

** Torchwood Three **

Ianto Jones wondered exactly how Jack expected him to do anything. Dmitri took Mrs. Purcell to pick up a few things at her house. John took Ken to lunch and the grocery store. With Rhys managing the facility, and Owen hovering over Tosh, that left him with all the kids.

He sat cross-legged in the back of the gun range with his back to the weapons locker with David in a sling playing checkers on a box with Trefor. Anwen, Teleri, Wynne and Sarah were running around the Weevil targets playing tag. Anwen displayed her telekinesis by perforating the targets with marbles earlier. He felt like he was losing his marbles.

“Girls are scary,” Trefor commented after removing another of Ianto’s pieces.

Anwen and Teleri definitely were and with followers, it was even worse. He didn’t want to think what they’d be like as teenagers. 

“Can you build a tower with the checkers?” 

“Uncle Jack needs you to look for something?”

Ianto nodded.

“Okay.”

Ianto switched on a tablet as the girls giggled. When he’d researched the Forest Farm victims before he’d focused on them as victims. Why were they exposed to the drug or bioweapon? If they were targeted by Oldaria, it was a completely different situation. She was on Earth because of Jack. They didn’t know why she stayed after realizing she was in the wrong universe. Protecting females gave her something to do or possibly a reason to stay.

Their deaths guaranteed Torchwood would review the case. Without connecting Oldaria to Maddox, they assumed the creature that killed the men was somehow connected to the dreamfish. If Oldaria killed them to draw attention to something, he could only guess it wouldn’t have come to their attention otherwise. Which didn’t make sense for what they knew of Oldaria. 

He checked a list of names associated with the alien. As a vigilante, she left a pile of bodies. The victims, if he could call them that, were muggers, rapists and domestic abusers. The women she rescued had no idea who she was. Except Corsen Blethen who was attacked near Williams Haulage blocks from the fortified warehouse. Oldaria injured Gerrell Thoburn defending Blethen. Thoburn was later shot fatally in Grangemoor Park near the Ely River. Nothing they knew about Oldaria suggested she used guns.

Ianto reconsidered the original victims. Nothing connected Thoburn to any of them. They had very little information on Maxwell Evanson’s brother Leith. Powell Beddoe and DCI Sawyer were the opposite. They had too much. Deidre reportedly killed Beddoe in Andy’s backyard. Beddoe was somehow connected to Sawyer’s death. Blethen left the fortress to distribute items at women’s shelters, and was mistaken for an escort after the attack because of the contents of her bag. That suggested consideration for prostitutes. Beddoe was connected to prostitution. Thoburn’s criminal background could connect him to prostitution.

While Ianto didn’t know why Thoburn attacked Blethen, the location meant he knew where to find her. There was no foot traffic around Williams Haulage. Someone in the area must have witnessed Blethen entering and leaving the warehouse. With minimal traffic passing through, that suggested one of the businesses around Rhys’ company.

For security reasons, they kept a list of business owners and employees in the area. One stood out. Caldre Camm was suspected of both human and drug trafficking. According to Connie Ryan’s police reports, there was a connection between Beddoe and Camm. Ryan was also connected to Sal. Sal had a reputation for killing violent pimps. There was nothing distinctive about Thoburn’s death. But it gave Ianto another idea. If Sal knew about Thoburn and Blethen, she knew about Oldaria’s fortress. Ryan was connected to Sal. While he couldn’t prove Oldaria killed the men in Forest Farm, he had a solid argument that Connie Ryan knew about Oldaria. According to Lacene Harpham, Ryan knew her stalker. The Beddoe situation threw the psyche report. But if Ryan had no problem with her stalker, she’d have no problem with Oldaria who was less dangerous. It could also explain how Oldaria found both her victims and the women and girls to rescue.

Ianto found his mobile. 

 

** Williams Haulage **

Gwen Cooper waited and wondered. Jack called Robert, John’s son from an another universe. An alien took technology necessary to find Robert’s trapped spaceship and had the knowledge to access alternative dimensions. Even by Torchwood standards, that was strange.

“Why did Robert suddenly approach Oldaria?” From what they understood, he’d avoided her previously.

“Concern. Robert approached me in Asda’s car park because John wasn’t returning messages.”

Gwen understood Robert wanting to protect his father. Owen, Tosh and probably Ianto were from other universes. While differences were possible, they were still family. “Worrying about John led to a discussion about his trapped spaceship?”

Jack looked over at her. “If Robert thought John needed help, the only thing he could offer Oldaria was his ship.”

“If alternative dimensions are completely different, how can his ship exist there?”

“I don’t know.” 

Robert approached cautiously and climbed into the back. “Morning.” His translation device sounded better.

“What happened at Noble Industries?” Jack asked.

“Oldaria took the equipment.” Robert’s explanation fit with what Jack suspected. 

Jack nodded. “I need you to ask her about other inter-dimensional beings in the area. A boy has an energy symbiont. We need details. There is a girl who needs similar protection, depending on the side effects.”

“You should ask.”

“Robert, do you what your father’s and Jack’s relationship with Oldaria was? How they met? Why she traveled with them?”

“I don’t know. I think she’s afraid of something.” He took a moment. “The Jack I knew was very different. It’s possible she thought he could protect her.”

“How?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know. The technology she has is incredible. From what I can tell, she reproduced it from memory. Short of a Time Lord, I’ve never heard of anyone or anything with comparable technology.”

“Why is she in this dimension?” Gwen wondered if Oldaria was afraid of something where she came from.

“I asked and the answer didn’t translate.”

“If she expects me to protect her, I need to know what she’s afraid of.”

Robert hesitated. “Oldaria has a low opinion of you.”

“What does she mean by domesticated?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know. It has something to do with John. She finds the conflict strange. She can’t figure out why you’re different here. Her concept of time and space is different.”

“Strange how?”

“My father and the Jack he knew had a bond. People who didn’t realize they were lovers thought they were brothers. They would get into a fist fight and then go drinking together. Nothing could break that bond. She can’t understand how John did something you won’t forgive him for.”

“Is she watching us?”

“I don’t know.”

When they ran out of questions, Robert left and headed back toward the warehouse. Gwen got the impression Oldaria made him nervous. “Maybe Oldaria wants her friends back and is frustrated that you and John here are not the men she knew.” Gwen couldn’t help but think of Owen and Tosh. They were similar but not the same. “Even if the relationship wasn’t sexual, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t emotional. Being trapped on an alien planet knowing she’s lost everything could be to much.”


	28. Chapter 28

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

** Thursday, January 14, 2021 **

General Trefor Williams returned to Four. His injuries were healed, but he needed to take it easy for awhile. During his military years, he’d been injured a few times. His Rift ability prevent serious injury previously. What concerned him was not the injury so much as the biomechs were prepared for his custom body armor. That suggested he’d either been scanned in Dublin or a future person familiar with his defenses had come back in time. Neither idea was comforting.

“You should be in bed.” Nessa joined him in the hallway to his office.

The general smile. “Give me a few days.”

Nessa tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow. “You need to take it easy.”

“I can’t. The situation will get worse.” The general exhaled sharply. “We need new weaponry and equipment now. If Liam hadn’t suggested the bots to Luc, there would have been more casualties.” He probably would have died.

“You need to ask Keara, not the one here, for satellite access. After the Alaska rescue, Four is registering a satellite network.”

“We need it to secure Luc’s robots.”

Nessa was quiet a few minutes as they walked. “Xiu might not be the best person for weapons and tactics discussions. Rhys mentioned she has some issues. I don’t know what she witnessed, but it was bad.” She hesitated. “She’s a tree-hugger interested in activism and saving the planet.” 

“Similar goals. The corporations are exploiting a sea creature and threatening the planet.”

Nessa shook her head. “Xiu’s a kid.”

“I’ll ask. She can say no.”

 

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

John Hart completed re-purposing special effects equipment to create a holographic, three dimensional representation of Cardiff. Pieced together CCTV footage showed the city with adjustable size. The gaps were equally important as they showed where someone could hide.

Dmitri stepped into the re-purposed maintenance room. “What’s Hogwarts?”

“No idea. Why?” John walked toward the door.

“The girls are plotting to steal your new computer and recreate it.”

John held out his hands. “No idea.” 

Dmitri looked at the holograph. “What are you looking for?”

“Leith Evanson. With Peter Harries statement, law enforcement is actively hunting him. Where does a man hide that police and criminals would shoot on sight?”

“A third world country with no extradition.” Dmitri shook his head.

“No. Evanson’s a sociopathic rich kid with no survival skills. Either he stole from Gordon-Glen or he exposed the corporation. The best chance he has is to hide in a familiar area.” 

Dmitri held up his hands.

“The Light and The Way was targeted for a reason.” John motioned toward the church in the hologram. “It exposed Dr. Palfreyman intentionally. Whoever she was working with wanted her taken out of play but didn’t want her dead.”

“Her journals were helpful. They led to Manchester.”

“Yeah.” John suspected there was more to it. “Targeting a church on Christmas Eve is a statement. The group is extreme by white nationalist standards. The only people that might give Evanson shelter are extremists.”

“Racial purists wouldn’t like the bioweapon. Unless…” Dmitri trailed off. “If Evanson presented Teleri as the poster child for genetic purity, the stupid might believe it only affects certain people. Publicly, the known victims were involved in the drug trade. The children abused by the cult came from poor families.”

“Using police reports, and knowledge of local crime, I’m looking for options. Sal, and presumably her people, would gut him. His picture had been distributed to ever shelter and social service agency in the UK. Street kids would take him out.”

“What could he offer anyone to protect him?”

“The bioweapon or antibodies.”

Dmitri shook his head. “There has to be more to it. Icelus and his brothers haven’t found him.”

“What about the cult the psychic vampire belonged to? Their extremism was flexible.”

“We couldn’t confirm they existed,” Dmitri said. “The only member of the group we found is in the cooler.”

“Say they exist and would accept Evanson for the antibodies. Where would a group that extreme hide?”

“In another extremist group. Like that church.”

“Yeah.” John flipped open his wrist-strap and programmed changes. “The red markers are locations where people have been arrested for hate-related crimes in the last six months. The blue markers are Oldaria.”

“Green?”

“Unusual drug reports. It appears unrelated.”

Dmitri tilted his head. “How did you define unusual?”

“Unknown drug, unexpected side-effects, experienced drug users accidentally OD’ing.”

“That’s a lot.”

John nodded. “It’s a psychotropic drug. No deaths yet. I’m monitoring A&Es for blood tests.”

Dmitri motioned toward a concentration of red. “What’s in that area?”

John selected the section and increased the image size. “That’s the edge of Pontcanna. Trayham Bach Historical Society, a private history museum, and an art gallery.”

“Maddox Tray was attacked in a Pontcanna cafe?”

“Yeah. By a man he identified as connected to his father’s work in Liverpool.” John considered. “The historical society had black market connections.”

“And alchemy. We never figured out the connection between Laren’s house and Trayham.”

“What were the devices for?”

Dmitri held out his hands. “Nothing I wanted to evaluate.”

John walked over and grabbed a tablet computer from a small table. “Laren McDougall’s house is near there.” He looked up the address. 

“The current theory on Maddox is that Oldaria is responsible for the symbiont.” Dmitri paused to think. “Did anyone consider a connection between Oldaria and the captive alien?”

“Oldaria is protecting females. She’d probably rescue the creature, if she could.”

“An alien with incredible technology has fortified a warehouse and is rescuing at-risk females. The only thing we know she’s doing is taking out men who commit crimes against women.” Dmitri looked at John. “Have we reviewed Oldaria’s known victims for connections?”

“No.”

“The blue markers are nowhere near her warehouse or the shelters.”

“Ianto found a possible connection between Oldaria, Sal and Connie Ryan. That’s Sal’s territory. Ryan works vice and would be connected to the same area.” John realized something. “Sal kills pimps. Oldaria is taking out offenders in general. Ryan works vice and went after Beddoe officially who’s connected to prostitution.”

“Yeah.” 

“Deidre, Harries described her as psycho. Evanson would know where Peter Harries was living. Ryan’s car wasn’t at the house that night.”

“I’m not following.” Dmitri sounded confused. 

“We need to look for the connection between Ryan and Sal.”

“Wait. Explain what you’re seeing, John.”

“I’m seeing four females that hate abusive men. If Deidre was psycho enough to kill Beddoe by fire because she could, she’d have a higher body count than Oldaria.”

“Fire is a horrible way to die,” Dmitri said. “Maybe Deidre is connected to Beddoe.” 

“Not four. Five.” John added the dreamfish cases to the hologram.

“Dr. Palfreyman.”

 

** Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

Luc Sarkisian reviewed the new satellite network after his cousin Ettie gave him access. According to the Observatory files, she’d given him credit for his satellite designs. There was also an indication that she’d copied all of his robot designs. The theft annoyed him, but having a functional network was more important. 

Eryn set a mug of coffee and a sandwich on the desk in front of him. “This is the cousin that tried to remote-access our computer?”

“Yeah. She probably helped Janne Talbot attack Three from the computer at the old Institute site.”

“Why?” Eryn sat.

“The Kearas. Ettie was probably offered the Observatory and access to that spaceship they took from Wales.”

Eryn sipped her coffee. “It worked out.”

“Yeah.” Except he needed to troubleshoot a custom satellite design that had been implemented by someone who didn’t understand robotics. The additional networking software was added by someone as impressive as Kailen. But there was no indication he or she understood robotics either. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Ettie said she couldn’t send details. Then she sends me access to the network.” 

Eryn closed her eyes. “There’s a problem with the satellites.”

“I haven’t found it yet.”

 

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

General Trefor Williams wondered if the best approach was unexpected brute force. With the drones they could create lightning or even ball lightning and create an electromagnetic pulse strong enough to fry the computer systems. They would be prepared for a surge, but not multiple, targeted lightning strikes. 

“You’re over-thinking,” Xiu said quietly.

The general looked up at her.

“Do you know what a grain silo is?”

“Yeah.” They stored crops on farms.

“Grain silos are dangerous. Get a high enough concentration of combustible dust and static electricity and it will explode,” Xiu explained. “The ballistic shields can be interlocked to enclose an area. Fill it with dust. It wouldn’t take much to set it off. The energy shield would force the explosion downward. Done correctly, it would create an EMP and disrupt everything on the ground. Whatever they expect you to do, it isn’t to create a grain silo explosion above the facility.”

The general agreed. “How would you do it?”

“Bring in the drones, create the shield, rapidly fill the enclosed area with grain, flour, or sawdust.” Xiu set her hands together. “The static electricity is created by two materials rubbing together.” She moved her hands back and forth. “It wouldn’t take much. Rubbing materials together would set it off.” 

The general decided he better call Eryn instead of Luc. 


	29. Chapter 29

** Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales **

The latest crisis had lasted too long. Jack Harkness stepped into their bedroom as Ianto grabbed more clothes and personal items. His insistence on handling the chores said a lot about his stress levels. He needed downtime. No matter how much he claimed to enjoy sitting with the kids, watching all six of them for a couple hours had been too much.

“After the general deals with the island, we’ll take some time,” Jack said as Ianto returned from the bathroom.

“Easier said than done.”

Jack crossed the room. “We will find the time.”

Ianto set a bottle of shampoo on the bedside table with a thud. “I have to much to do.”

“It’s the stress.” Jack took Ianto’s hand. “You had a nightmare last night.”

“Living at the hub, it’s too much.”

Jack hugged him. “We will take time for ourselves.” Ianto pressed his face to his shoulder. Jack kissed the top of his head. “Soon.”

“I need to pack.”

Jack lightly rubbed his back. “No rush.”

“We need to get back.” Ianto looked up.

“We have time.” Jack kissed him.

 

** The Arctic Observatory; Prince of Wales Island, Nunavut, Canada **

Spaceship, Villetta Thirion thought, trying to remind herself of why she agreed to work with the psychotic psychic. There would never be a similar opportunity. She still questioned whether the insanity was worth it. The time traveling Keara appeared to view everything as a strategy game. Watching someone approach life like a chess game might be amusing, if she wasn’t playing with people’s lives.

“I need to tell Luc what we know.”

“No.”

Patience , Ettie told herself. “People are going to die.”

“No. They learned from the first island.”

“Torchwood needs to know what they’re up against.”

Keara sighed. “No. If you tell Luc, he will react predictably. If we knew about the biomechs, for example, they would have prepared a different strategy. Liam wouldn’t have suggested what he did. More people would have died.”

“The other island is a lot worse. They need to know.”

“No. If we tell them, General Williams with approach the situation predictably. Right now, he’s working on an assault plan that will work. There is no way for anyone to predict Xiu’s suggestions.”

“What happens when that alien ship arrives?”

“It won’t. Xiu’s plan will have consequences neither the corporate people nor the aliens could prepare for.”

“This is crazy.”

Keara looked exasperated. “They have a psychic. He calculates and innately understands odds. With the right information, he can prepare for anything. Liam’s exploding maintenance bots was beyond anything the psychic could predict. He didn’t know Liam and the general were lovers. Observation outside the facility showed that the general and Nessa had an unconventional relationship.”

“Where did Xiu come from?”

“China in 1989. She was moments before dying. If any records exist of the protesters at Tienanmen Square, Xiu died with her parents. No one reported her missing. There is no evidence she disappeared.”

Ettie stared at her. “Why didn’t you prevent the nightmare if you knew it was going to happen?”

“I can see, I can’t change.”

“You rescued Xiu.”

Keara sighed. “I manipulate time through small changes. Atmore abducted Xiu before she died. I couldn’t prevent the tanks or the protest or the deaths.”

“Can you take out the psychic?”

“That would be predictable.”

Ettie stared at the crazy woman. “You can cross universes, travel through time, and…” She held her out. “You’re a fucking demigod.”

Keara ran a hand over her face. “I have learned to manipulate the fabric of reality. Time, universes, everything has rules. They can be manipulated but they can’t be broken.”

The true horror of Keara’s perception malfunctions finally dawned on Ettie. Keara learned the rules by manipulating circumstances. That meant she had to relive the same situations over and over again until she got them right. That was why she saw everything like a game. She had to distance herself from everything to function. 

 

** Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales **

Jack Harkness rested with an arm around Ianto while he slept. Stolen moments in the middle of crises were not enough. Jack knew if he suggested Ianto take the time alone he would view that as being sent away. That would make it worse.

Reluctantly, Jack reached for his mobile. He’d put off a call.

“Harpham.”

“How are you?” 

Lacene laughed, sounding as homicidal as ever. “I was cleared for full duty. According to the psychiatrist I was psychotic to begin with.”

Jack smiled. “Do you have time for a situation review?”

“Possibly. How bad?”

“The stalker situation has a new twist.” Jack explained John’s theory about Ryan, Sal, Oldaria, Deidre and possibly Dr. Palfreyman.

Lacene groaned. “I hope that’s the plot to a bad movie.”

“No. It makes a disturbed kind of sense.”

“Sal, pending it’s the Sal I’m thinking of, is former military. She had a rapist in her unit. The brass opted not to  believe the victims. The rapist died under unusual battlefield circumstances. There was no proof. I only know because one of her former unit members was part of a case years ago.” Lacene paused a moment. “Killing pimps is her current reputation and it fits. Not torching Beddoe. She might have carved him up like Sunday dinner, but she wouldn’t have torched him. Or condoned it.”

Jack agreed. “Ryan wouldn’t have either. There is a possibility the person who killed Beddoe thought Andy wasn’t home.”

“Connie Ryan is connected to an unknown vigilante and Sal. Who or what Oldaria is would fit that also. Deidre, pending she did kill Beddoe, would be a very unstable psycho. Palfreyman is a different type of unstable psycho.”

“Can you send me Sal’s actual name and a list of people she served with?”

“I’ll send what I have. If that’s the Deidre connection, you have a serious problem. Sal worked black ops.”

“Does Ryan have a service record?” Jack wondered.

“No.”

“Be careful with this, Lacene.”

“I always am.”

Ianto shifted against him as the call ended. “Can we stay longer?”

“Yeah. I need to call John.” Jack needed to call Gwen, but mentioning her or calling from bed was a bad idea. 

 

** Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

Aman Oliveira waited until he could talk to Luc alone. The Caribbean situation bothered him for various reasons. The treatment of the kids at the facility alone was puzzling. The biomech facility really made him wonder what they didn’t know.

“I reviewed the second Caribbean island notes. It’s my understanding it was fully operational and had already produced a significant amount of second gen biomechs. More than were killed at the first island.”

“Yeah.” Luc turned away from one of the monitors in his lab.

“The important question I have is not how they have a functioning soldier lab, it’s why. The technology far exceeds current tech. They used cloning, artificial gestation and rapid aging to create an army for what? Why expend the time, effort and resources to produce the army unless they need it for something.”

Luc nodded. “I thought of that. There is evidence of biomechs in the UK that are unaware they’re biomechs. The Pierro group and the genetic mod that attacked Ianto in the coffee shop were different than biomechs.”

“The antibody treatments would potentially be enough to fund an army. Or heal it. Unlike Cardiff, the children were given the best under the circumstances. Almost as if it was a necessary evil.” Aman took a moment. “The Fellowship of Inner Peace lied to and manipulated psychics. But once they arrived, they had a solid standard of living. The Keara in Dublin still refers to him as The Prophet. Anyone the Fellowship recruited was given a home whether they could contribute or not.”

“Another version of you?” Luc asked reluctantly.

“No,” Aman said. “Worse.”

“Another Keara?”

“Would it be the strangest thing at this point?”

Luc shook his head. 


	30. Chapter 30

** (Former Moss-Probert Research facility) **

Jack Harkness reluctantly left Ianto at the hub. The expected jealousy and paranoia were shifting to anger. Close quarters and continual stress could do that without the added PTSD complications. Although Ianto was coping better than a year ago.

Gwen was checking the vigilante group possibilities from his office. John and Dmitri were reviewing Evanson possibilities based on the new hologram technology John devised. He checked with Owen before leaving. Tosh’s condition had improved, but the nanogenes induced a coma, and Owen hovered too distracted to work on the antibodies.

The drive gave him time to wonder what they were missing. While taking out the Greenland island facility was a priority, it was a symptom of a much bigger problem. Unfortunately, he had no idea what it was other than future and alien interference. The big question was why. 

Jack parked next to Rhys’ car, and wondered about the unfamiliar vehicle. After the island, Miriam and Zhao were both paranoid. An unscheduled visitor should have resulted in a phone call. He wondered if it was another Refuge person.

Rhys met him at the door looking uncomfortable. “We have company. Madeline Shadwick. She’s connected to London.”

“Why didn’t you call?” 

“I was told you would be arriving.” 

Jack knew there had to be more to it. “It’s all right. Where is she?”

“The main office.”

Jack wondered. Intimidating Rhys after everything was possible took effort. Miriam and Zhao were a different story. They wouldn’t care about the government.

“Captain Harkness.” The graying woman in her sixties said as he entered the office. “I am Madeline Shadwick.” She included her credentials. Jack suspected she was a high level flunky from the prime minister’s office.

“Why are you here?”

She was not amused. “The situation is not acceptable.”

“Human experimentation is never acceptable.”

“Your actions are bringing a lot of attention to this  dreamfish situation.”

That really made him wonder. 

“Teleri Voyles needs to be returned to her family immediately. The children here need to be treated with antibodies and handed over to social services.”

Definitely not a Refuge member. “Teleri has a target on her back. She will for the rest of her life.” Jack took a moment to contain his temper. “Treatment for the children is not ready. The antibodies are not a magic cure. We need to know what we’re dealing with before subjecting children to it.” 

“You have research from the Caribbean island.”

Jack crossed his arms. He’d spoken to an official about the situation after it happened and mentioned the bio-engineered soldiers but not the antibodies. “That was a different situation.”

“Yes. They have a stable treatment.”

“What we know from the Caribbean is that they had a soldier factory. Did London know someone was producing super soldiers?”

“No. We were investigating reports of a miracle treatment that works for all diseases.”

Jack nodded. “You don’t want these kids sent back to social services. You want guinea pigs.”

“That is an unfair accusation, Captain.”

“Some of the children here disappeared from care. Social services has not provided a reasonable explanation.”

“Reasonable explanation? There is an alien in this town holding a number of women and children prisoner. You’ve done nothing to rescue them. Explain that.”

If she meant Oldaria, there was nothing to rescue them from. The warehouse was a big dormitory, but it was safe. “Which alien would that be?”

She crossed her arms. “The one by Mr. Williams haulage company.”

“That warehouse is safer than this facility.”

“You condone abductions and question my concerns?” Shadwick demanded incredulously. 

“It’s a secure domestic shelter. No one is being held against their will.”

“I disagree. Powell Beddoe’s family is worried about his fiance.” She cited three similar examples.

Jack was familiar with Telyn’s situation. He’d spoken to her. Dmitri stayed in contact. “Than you’re unfamiliar with the situation. The woman was Beddoe’s ex-girlfriend not his finance. She was taken to a different domestic shelter after he seriously injured her. The shelter was concerned they didn’t have the security to protect her. That’s why she’s at the warehouse. She’s afraid to leave.”

“The Beddoes have a different account. Without speaking to Ms. Lewison, I’m inclined to believe them.”

“Is that what this is about? Beddoe’s dead. He has no reputation to protect.”

“And the children?”

“I will look into it. The women and girls at the warehouse are high-risk. They’re poor and homeless with nowhere to go. Some have protection orders that won’t keep them safe. If there are any wealthy runaways in that crowd, they were hiding with street kids.”

“They need to be returned to their parents.”

Which gave Jack an idea about one of the unexplained pieces of the puzzle. Corsen Blethen was attacked by the warehouse by a man named Thoburn who was later shot dead. Ianto potentially connected the situation to an area businessman with human-trafficking connections. If abusive families with connections were trying to reclaim victims, it could explain the attack and Ms. Blethen’s refuse to cooperate with the police.

“How about this? Send me the names of any missing girls believed to be in the area and Torchwood will investigate. If we find the girls and any indication of domestic violence, it will be referred to the police departments where the missing person cases were filed. We will contact Cardiff social services and request secured placement until it can be resolved.”

Madeline Shadwick looked ready to explode.

“Torchwood doesn’t care about politics. The children here are not guinea pigs. The Hague has already sent an investigator. Any attempt to exploit or further experiment on these kids will be brought before a tribunal. The international media will be horrific.”

 

Jack watched Shadwick try to storm out with dignity. The conflict with her was not over. He would need to contact Teleri’s family and discuss relocating her until the situation was resolved. He’d tried to get through to them previously. Her grandfather tried insisting no one would attack a church. Before The Light and The Way, Jack wouldn’t have agreed. After a publicized bioweapon attack, it was a ridiculous argument.

Zhao walked over quietly in the hallway. “She’s a problem.”

“How bad?”

Zhao shrugged. “Shadwick knows about the Refuge. Few people do. Fewer know the founders are Russian.”

“Did she recognize you?”

“No. She would not have walked in here, if she did.”

“Did she make an offer?” Jack asked. One of the London or UNIT doctors tried to bribe a Refuge man.

“She threatened deportation.” Zhao sounded amazed. “The information she has on the Caribbean is inaccurate. If she knew what actually happened, she would not have threatened me.”

“Someone is feeding her, or London, partial information.”

 

** David’s D draig Goch **

John Hart opted to start with the direct approach. The dimly lit bar and grill looked much the same as it had the first time he entered it looking for Sal. It smelled of fish and chips and had more customers later in the day. He claimed the same bar stool near the back wall. The sudden need for a drink reminded him why he avoided bars. Staying sober was an ongoing battle. The bartender walked over wearing leather. She looked more like a biker.

“Torchwood,” he said quietly.

“Sal will talk to you in the back.” She motioned toward an open doorway under a public toilet sign.

John slid off the barstool as the front door opened. The casually dressed thugs were pretty obvious. They eyed the pub as they made for the bar. Conversations stopped. Two men near the door left in a hurry. John quickly found his mobile and dialed Dmitri without looking at his phone.

“Where’s your boss?” Thug-one asked.

The bartender tried for a bored expression, but she was tense. “He’s not here today.”

“Call the bitch, we’ll wait.”

John returned to the barstool. “I’ll talk another beer after all.” Dmitri knew about the addictions. John hoped it was enough to signal a problem.

“She’s busy,” Thug-two said, turning to glare.

“Getting beers. If you want bitches, there’s brothel around the corner.”

Thug-one looked at him. “Not your business.”

“If you mess with Sal, I’m not getting my shipment. That makes it my business.”

Thug-two moved toward him. “Who the fuck are you?”

“I’m a problem-solver. Occasionally, I connect buyers with sellers.” John reached into his pocket as if getting his mobile. “Whatever business you have with Sal will have to wait.”

“Fuck you,” Thug-two emphasized.

John eyed him. “Nah. I like my men with better hygiene.” 

It took a moment for the realization to kick in. The homophobic rage filled Thug-two’s eyes a moment before he rushed. John dodged and slapped the back of Thug-two’s neck with a stun pellet. He hit the floor face first with a thud.

The door opened as John took Thug-two’s wallet from his back pocket. 

“What are you doing?” Thug-one asked nervously.

“Checking your buddy’s ID.”

“Find a date?” Dmitri asked using a Russian accent. The smile reached his eyes, but he gripped the gun too tightly.

John stood. “I have standards.” He motioned at Thug-two. “He has HH tattooed on his neck.”

Dmitri walked over to the bar and set the gun on the counter facing Thug-one. “My friend is barbaric. We are reasonable men, no?” He spoke calmly and quietly, the accent deepening.

“My business is with Sal.” Thug-one kept his hands flat on the bar.

“Da.” Dmitri stared until Thug-one averted his gaze. “Violence attracts attention. It is bad for business.” He took a moment. “You will take your friend and leave. My patience has limits, comrade. We will not have this conversation again.”


	31. Chapter 31

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Jack Harkness returned to the hub with a list of concerns. They needed to have a meeting and compare notes. He needed to ask the general to contact the Refuge and Keara. There to many problems and no way to solve most of them. 

One was Toshiko’s condition. Jack entered the infirmary. Owen looked like he’d had too much caffeine and not enough sleep. “Hey.”

Owen stood next to the nanogene station. “The people who brought Tosh here had no idea what they were doing.” He sounded overwhelmed.

“Why?”

“From the scans, the time sickness was caused by incompatibility. She had cybernetics connected to her central nervous system. I didn’t know it until the nanogenes started breaking the devices down as foreign objects. There are alien materials in the components that don’t work here.”

Jack crossed over to Tosh. “Will she make it?”

“I don’t know.” Owen shook his head. “When the nanogenes are done dismantling the cybernetics, I’ll ask John for antibodies.” He closed his eyes and balled his fists. “Even if Tosh survives, I don’t know what the cybernetics did. She might need them.”

Jack remembered how badly the original Owen reacted to the death of his fiance. The helplessness bubbled into rage. He internalized it over time. Which led to a breakdown over Diane, challenging authority, an affinity for Weevils and the embodiment of Death. 

“One thing at a time. Is Tosh stable?”

“Yeah.”

“Take a shower and get some sleep.”

Owen glared at him.

“You can’t help her like this.” Jack took a moment. “Give me the readings on the cybernetics and I will see what I can do.” Robert or Oldaria might know what the devices did.

After a brief staring match, Owen left the infirmary. He needed to ask Gwen if she remembered how to deal with Owen’s stubbornness. Maybe they would have time for another dream-sharing session soon. He needed to revisit more Estelle memories anyway because of Liam’s grandmother. It would be an emotional combination.

Jack left Tosh to sleep and headed for Ianto’s office. They need time to themselves before Jack mentioned the dream talismans again. Regardless it was both therapy and research, Ianto’s jealousy would be justified. He had enough professional problems, he didn’t need to cause personal ones.

Ken joined him halfway there. Like Owen, he looked overwhelmed. “Can you contact Dmitri? I need a break. Ianto is not up for babysitting right now. Mrs. Purcell offered, but she has all four girls. I won’t ask Gwen.”

“Give Michael to me.” Jack hadn’t held a baby since Trefor was an infant, but he remembered.

Ken set the diaper bag down before carefully removed the baby from the sling. He handed Michael over before removing the sling “Do you know how to works?” 

“No. You can give the sling and bag to Ianto.”

“Thank you.”

Jack thought about the bassinet and having it brought up to the conference room. Neither Ianto or Ken would approve of setting Michael in the corner even if he was asleep. Ianto eyed them when they entered his office. Ken set the baby items on the desk and hurried out. 

“I’ll take him.” Ianto reached for the sling.

“I can hold him for awhile.”

Ianto stared for a moment. “You’ll want the sling.” 

Jack crossed the room. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah.”

Jack handed Michael to Ianto and took off his coat. Than with repeated instructions, Jack managed to get the sling situated. The meeting was going to be an experience. Gwen and probably John would laugh at him. The laughter would be good, Jack reluctantly admitted.

“Be careful with him.” Ianto placed Michael in the sling. “Don’t mention this to Rhys.”

Jack hadn’t thought about that. “I won’t.” He gave it a moment. “We need to head up to the conference room. Gwen’s using my office. Dmitri and John will be back soon.”

 

Gwen Cooper waited in the conference room with Trefor on her lap. With Anwen distracted by her friends, he was more clingy than usual. She had to be careful with what she said on the phone. Otherwise, Trefor quietly played with Legos. She set her chin lightly on top of his head as she read from her tablet.

The door opened and Ianto entered carrying coffee and the diaper bag. Jack followed wearing Michael’s sling. She couldn’t help it, she started laughing. He smiled at her.

“What’s funny?” Trefor asked, confused.

“Uncle Jack’s babysitting.”

Trefor shook his head. “That’s not funny.”

Gwen chuckled. 

“Ken needed a break.” Jack cross the room and claimed his chair at the head of the table.

“Yeah.” Gwen paused a moment. “Are we having a meeting because we have something?”

“We need to compare notes.”

Gwen had hoped he’d had better luck. “I’ve been talking MO with law enforcement here, the UK and Ireland. Beddoe is unique. I started checking Connie Ryan’s cases and there may be a connection between Ryan and the women Oldaria sheltered. If Dmitri had not freaked out about Telyn disappearing, it wouldn’t have been reported.”

Jack explained the conversation with Madeline Shadwick. 

“That doesn’t make sense. Although we don’t know what led to Beddoe approaching Telyn the last time. If John’s right, it could explain what happened to Beddoe.”

Ianto set mugs of coffee in front of Gwen and Jack. “Trefor, that’s hot. Don’t touch it.”

“Juice?”

Ianto removed a small bottle from the small fridge in the corner and set it in front of Trefor.

“Thank you.”

Ianto tousled Trefor’s hair. “I checked the names DCI Harpham sent. The only one I could find is in a care facility for veterans with combat-related injuries. According to his file, his sisters visit him. He has a brother.”

“CCTV?” Jack asked.

“It can’t be remotely accessed. The facility accepts patients with high security clearances.”

The door slid open and John entered with Dmitri close behind. They sat.

“Find anything on Evanson?” Jack asked.

 

** Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

The network errors were intentionally, Luc Sarkisian concluded. Kailen reviewed the code and suspected the satellites had been hacked after deployment. What they knew for certain was they couldn’t be safely used. The robots needed to be shielded from satellites and similar technology to prevent hacking. Which meant they needed an alternative way to control the drones. Programming them before the attack rather than manual control created different problems.

“Recalled flour?” Kailen asked. “Is it toxic?”

“No. The general’s turning it into an explosive.” The idea was insane, but at least it didn’t violate the laws of physics.

Kailen turned at Luc. “What?”

“When you take clothes from the dryer, they stick together. It’s static electricity.”

“Yeah.”

“Flour is a combustible. When condensed in an enclosed space and exposed to static electricity, it will explode. The result will be similar to a lightning strike and fry their electronics.”

“Surge protectors?” Kailen wondered.

“No. It will overwhelm their safety precautions.”

Kailen nodded, still looking confused. “They’re unprepared for exploding flour.” 

The door opened and Aman walked over to Kailen. “We have another problem. The ocean between Iceland and Greenland is frozen. If the ice is solid, there’s access to the mainland. Either way, it provides cover for submersibles.”

Luc closed his eyes. “Submarines would be the only reliable transportation year round.”

“There are designs of early unmanned submersibles online,” Kailen said. “Four can produce advanced bots and drones, it can replicate outdated models.”

“To do what?” Luc asked.

“GPS tag anything submerged. It has to surface at some point.” Kailen turned back to his computer. “Make it as low tech as possible. Unless they have advanced scanners programmed for non-transmitting beacons, they probably would ignore a small impact that caused no damage.”

 

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

General Trefor Williams reviewed the final details while he waited for the conference call from Three. Aman’s insights were impressive. The plan was insane and unpredictable. After the Caribbean nightmare, boots-on-the-ground would have better armor. They lost three to many people on the last island.

“Incoming conference call,” Four announced.

“Connect, Four, thanks.” It clicked.

“Evening,” Jack said. “Do you have updates? There are children present.”

“We have the island siege planned,” the general said. “We’re using improvised weaponry.” He explained the satellite problem.

“How did that happen?”

“I don’t know. The Kearas gave the Observatory to Luc’s cousin Ettie. She stole Luc’s designs. Somehow the entire network was hacked after the satellites were deployed and linked. Luc will need to create another satellite to remote access from orbit and reprogram the entire network.”

“What about the space station?”

“Accessing it’s complicated. If the Kearas gain control early, it would be possible to force control from the station.”

“Whose leading the ground assault?”

“Me.” 

“No,” Jack emphasized. “You need time to recover.” 

“It’s me or Miriam. Miri is not ready.”

“I’ll lead.”

“Jack…” the general sighed. “You need to be here. Body armor, weapons, tactical revision.”

“When?”

“Now.”


	32. Chapter 32

**No plan survives contact with the enemy.**

 Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

Paraphrased in _The Swordbearers : Studies in Supreme Command in the First World War_ (1963) by Correlli Barnett, p. 35

 

** Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada **

** Saturday, January 16, 2021 **

Eryn Sylla sat in the break room wearing a headset. What they were about to do was insane. Her definition of possible had changed a lot since Mr. Zhao transported her, Kailen and Aman to Cardiff. She never would have imagined herself coordinating a military assault on an island holding an alien hostage.

John Hart sat across from her. His wrist-strap gave them a solid communication option with Captain Harkness and General Williams. Given the situation, and unknown variables, they didn’t want to take chances.

“Stage 1,” General Williams said from Dublin via his wrist-strap. 

“Luc, deploy the submersibles.” The very retro devices offered a view of the facility’s underside, GPS trackers and a possible distraction, if necessary.

“Deploying stage one.” Depending on circumstances, they had stage two through four. If they had to, they were prepared to improvise attacks on submarines.

“Aman, any buoy or seismic changes?” Without satellites, they’d had to work with what was available. Actual science stations monitored areas in the region.

“No.”

“General, Stage 1 complete.”

Captain Hart smile. She couldn’t help but smile back. She needed the reassurance. 

A few minutes passed before General Williams spoke again. “No obvious reaction. Stage 2.”

“Kailen, deploy Silo 1.” While the facility couldn’t have prepared a defense against the ridiculous, they could react to the drones or robotic equipment in different ways. They were prepared for several possibilities, including having to deploy secondary units to destroy their own robots.

“Deploying silo 1. Countdown to detonation.”

“Buoy and seismic response larger than expected,” Aman said. 

“Luc, check the sensor readings.”

“The explosion affected the ice sheet. It’s cracking inland. There are no people known to be in that area.”

Eryn relayed the information.

“We’re checking the facility now. Stand-bye,” General Williams said. 

 

** Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland **

General Trefor Williams sent a drone and waited for it’s return. He handed tablets with details to Miri and Jack. The EMP affect was unexpectedly severe. It disabled the facility and the geothermal power station. That improved the odds of successfully taking the facility, but lessened the alien’s chances of survival. Unless she could handle seriously cold temperatures, she could freeze to death.

“Jack?” the general asked.

“I’m going first. I will assess the situation before the troops arrive.”

“Why?” Miri asked.

“Something we didn’t plan for happened.” Jack stood. “I need to see it firsthand.”

“Watch your six.”

Miri watched Jack leave. “He knows something.”

The general nodded. The question was what.

“Incoming call from Nigeria.”

“Accept Four, thanks.” He wondered what Idrissa wanted. “Morning.”

“Planetary sensors indicate a major explosion. Ms. Atmore is concerned a geothermal well breach. There was a problem in that region with alien technology a hundred years ago.”

“Does she remember specifics? I can look up the files?”

 

** North Atlantic Marine Center; (private island,) Greenland **

Jack Harkness arrived to smoldering ruins and melting snow. Flames flickered through cracks in the ground. Ms. Jiang’s static electricity hadn’t caused the devastation. It was above and beyond even a massive lightning strike. The blast must have disrupted an unstable power source. 

He checked his wrist-strap. A land assault wasn’t necessary. No one in the facility survived. With the shielding down, he recognized various technology he never wanted to see again. Torchwood’s first Arctic research center had been destroyed by a misunderstood power source. 

“General Williams.” 

“Jack, you need to get out of there. The island is going to explode.” The ground rumbled as if to emphasize the general’s words.

“I have what I need.” Familiar orange light wrapped around him. “What…”

 

Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland

General Trefor Williams checked his equipment. The wrist-strap connection ended.

“Eryn, have Luc deploy a drone with a real-time connection. Something just happened to Jack.”

Minutes passed. “The island collapsed. A spaceship created an energy bubble or a shield in the ocean to prevent tidal waves. Luc compared it to the Calais freight explosion that was directed into space. Uh, hold on.” She paused. “Footage from underwater cameras is back. The facility had an undersea pen. They were breeding the aquatic aliens. Hold on.” He could hear John talking faintly in the background. He must have put his hand over his wrist-strap. “A second spaceship arrived.” She hesitated. “All the drones, above and below the ocean are gone. I will get back to you when we have something.” The call disconnected.

The general switched the Nigeria connection from mute. “Idrissa?”

“Sensors alarms are triggering all over the planet. We are receiving messages from locations that might not exist.”

“Can Ms. Atmore identify alarms?”

“She said one of the locations sending error messages was destroyed.”

If Ms. Atmore was conclusively from this universe that would’ve been more problematic. “Which facility?”

“The Nautilus. It’s a mobile underwater facility,” Idrissa said.

“Have you tried contacting Captain Nemo?”

Miri put a hand over her mouth as she chuckled. “Maybe Jules Verne worked for Torchwood,” she added quietly.

“No response from any of the unknown locations.”

“Send system reports to Cardiff.”

“That might not be possible. Nigeria is not connected to the Torchwood network.”

 

** Robert’s Spaceship **

Jack Harkness materialized in the command center of an impressive spaceship. Robert sat in the command chair reading a workstation screen. Jack could only guess that meant Oldaria used the technology from the Noble Industry site to access the trapped ship. 

“Don’t touch anything. We’re currently trying to secure the aliens. Transporting aquatic life-forms between planets is a logistics nightmare. If we transport their environment, it will disrupt both planets ecosystem.”

Jack stared for a moment. “How many?”

“I’m trying to figure that out. Apparently, the arseholes were breeding them.”

“Where are you taking them?”

“Europa. Oldaria is confident we can mine enough to replicate a robotic satellite network around the moon to produce a more stable atmosphere and prevent anyone from bothering the creatures. They’ve been through enough.”

“Can I help?”

Robert looked up from his workstation. “Do you still know how to fly a Chula ship?”

“Yeah.” Jack couldn’t help but wonder. Chula technology would attract the Time Agency. Which might have been the point, if Robert was hunting the agency in his universe.

“We need air support.”

 

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Anwen Williams laughed at the ridiculous movie. Sarah and Wynne liked Disney movies. Her and Teleri agreed. There had been too much stress to argue over something as silly as a movie. The hero was cute. The heroine was clever. Anwen preferred Westerns to princess love stories. 

When the buzzing started, Anwen thought it was the television. When no one else responded, it occurred to her. With the Rift closed, there shouldn’t have been a problem. She stood and flipped open her wrist-strap. “John Hart.”

“Problem?” He sounded distracted.

“Yeah. Are you safe? There is something trying to force it’s way through the Rift.” If she collapsed, he might pass out.

“I’m in the Nova Scotia break room. Where are you?”

“The former alchemy lab.” The buzzing increased. 

“I will contact Ianto.”

The image appeared as she nodded. “John, it’s more than one ship.”

“How many?”

“Six or eight. They’re small ones.”

“Drones?”

“No. They’re the size of double decker buses in London.”

“You can’t take out eight ships.”

“No.” The pain started. “I need to open the Rift.”

 

** Chula Warship **

It’d been a long time since Jack Harkness flew a spaceship. The memories weren’t clear, but he remembered. He quickly found that Robert had four warships docked. A light over the berth identified his. He quickly moved through the port door and found the command seat. Moonlight Sonata echoed through the back of his mind as he fastened his safety harness and did a preflight check. He didn’t know why, but it made him think of Rose Tyler, and he smiled.

The com lit up. Jack tapped the button.

“We have six ships exiting the Rift over Cardiff. John said Anwen is safe and on his way to a berth now. He said General Williams is a pilot but might not be physically able to fly.”

“I’ll ask.” Jack flipped open his wrist-strap. “General Williams.”

“Jack? Where are you?”

“Docked with Robert’s ship. He has Chula warships. We have incoming ships through the Rift. Are you able to able to pilot?”

“Yeah. How do I get there?”

“He’s going to lock onto your wrist-strap.” The same way the general used to abduct John.

“Beam me up, Scotty.”

After the com connection ended, Jack finished his preflight and requested permission to disengaged through the computer. The couplings released the ship and dropped him. A moment later, he had control and was getting his bearings. As he remembered the ship, he remembered the significance of Moonlight Sonata. He’d danced on the top of a Chula warship with Rose in front of Big Ben.

His wrist-strap indicated an incoming message as he flew toward Cardiff. He accepted.

“Jack.” Gwen sounded concerned. “Torchwood is under attack. Luc deployed drones. Anwen already took out a ship. If she tries for another one, John is going to crash.”

“Lock the facility down. Get as many bots, both sizes, prepped. Stun pellets are set for biomechs. The destablizaer charges turn the bots into bombs. They will explode on impact.”

“I know.”

“I’ll be there soon.”

Ships sensors registered two more Chula warships headed for Cardiff. The com system activated remotely. “General, Captains, there is a space station registering over London. The satellite network has activated. Hold the line for ten minutes, and we will be headed for Europa. They can’t catch us once we leave orbit.”

“Who’s controlling the space station?” John asked.

Robert replied, “It’s broadcasting the designation Torchwood Global.”

 

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Ianto Jones sat on the floor in the infirmary next to Ken and Michael with Trefor on his lap. Gwen chose the infirmary because Tosh couldn’t be moved. Owen sat next to Tosh’s bedside. Dmitri read a book across the room. Mrs. Purcell and the girls held each other as Teleri prayed. Gwen monitored the situation on a tablet.

Ianto set his head back, and struggled with the flashbacks. Nothing was burning, he reminded himself over and over. When the hub shook, he heard screams. The flames were out of control. The Cybermen were coming. He had to get to Lisa. He felt a small hand on his and the images faded. The smoke, blood and screams disappeared. 

“It’s just a bad dream, Uncle Ianto,” Trefor said. “It can’t hurt you.”

Tears slid off Ianto’s cheeks. “Memories.” That would haunt him as long as he lived.

Trefor hugged him. “It can’t hurt you.”

Ianto returned the hug. 

 

** Chula Warship **

Jack Harkness chased the last of the alien fleet into orbit. With the Rift closed, there was no way to escape. Space was the only option left and it wouldn’t outrun a Chula warship. The pilot pushed the speed past the ship’s tolerances and struggled to maintain control. When one of the engines gave out, the pilot turned the ship and faced him head-on. Jack could appreciate that. He would have done the same.

Robert’s ship left orbit heading for Jupiter and the water moon Europa. 

With the brief distraction, the alien pilot flew at him with what power remained in the damaged ship. Jack dodged but not without sustaining structural damage. He targeted the other ship’s remaining engine and fired. The ship’s shields failed, the engine detonated and it exploded.

He then focused on assessing his ship. Both the shields and manual heat shielding were damaged. He’d burn or be irradiated on re-entry. While he’d survive, it would be a horrible experience. Waiting for Robert to return, if he did, sounded like a much better option.

Then the com lit up. He tapped it.

“Captain Harkness, this is Keara.”

“Which one?”

She laughed. “The soldier. Would you like to see your new space station?”


End file.
